transcendental
/ˌtɹæn(t)s(ɛ)nˈdɛntl̩/
transcendental means synonym of transcendent (“surpassing usual limits; excelling; extraordinary”). It carries an Arena rating of 1459, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, transcendental ranks #555 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #589 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #2,472 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #5,951 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
transcendental is pronounced /ˌtɹæn(t)s(ɛ)nˈdɛntl̩/.
Why “transcendental” is a great word
Relating to that which is beyond the reach of sensory experience or that surpasses all ordinary limits. From Medieval Latin transcendentalis, from Latin transcendentem ("exceeding, surpassing"), present participle of transcendere ("to climb over, transcend"), from trans- ("across, beyond") + scandere ("to climb"), first attested in English in the 1660s. Unlike “empirical” (which is built from sensory observation) or “immanent” (which remains inherently within a given domain), “transcendental” seeks the ground of being itself, the foundational condition that makes experience possible. It is the quiet, non-negotiable logic of mathematics, the moral law that exists before any action is taken, and the silent, awe-inducing peak that exceeds the climber’s map—the human mind reaching past the ladder of its own construction, grasping for what holds the ladder in place.
Etymology
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin transcendentālis + English -al (suffix meaning of or relating to forming adjectives; and forming nouns, especially of verbal action). Transcendentālis is derived from Latin trānscendentem + ‑ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); and trānscendentem is the accusative singular form of trānscendēns (“exceeding, surpassing, transcending”), the present active participle of trānscendō (“to climb, cross, pass, or step over; to exceed, surpass, transcend”), from trāns- (prefix meaning ‘across; beyond; through’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- (“to cross over; to overcome; to pass through”)) + scandō (“to ascend, climb; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to ascend; to jump up”)). The noun is derived
adj
- Synonym of transcendent (“surpassing usual limits; excelling; extraordinary”).
- In the philosophy of Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.): synonym of transcendent (“transcending or extending beyond a single category”); also, synonym of metaphysical (“of or relating to the basic structure of reality”).
- In the philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) or similar philosophies: concerned with the a priori or intuitive basis of knowledge, independent of experience.e.g.“The chief mystics in Germany, it would appear, are the Transcendental Philosophers, [Immanuel] Kant, [Johann Gottlieb] Fichte, and [Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph] Schelling!” — 1827, Thomas Carlyle, “State of German Literature”, in R[alph] W[aldo] E[merson], editor, Critical and Miscellaneous Essays: […], volume I, Boston, Mass.: James Munroe and Company, published 1838, →OC
- In the philosophy associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882): of or relating to transcendentalism (“a philosophy which stresses intuition and spirituality”).
- Beyond one's ordinary experience; extraordinary.
- Existing in the imagination; abstract, conceptual.
- Mystical, superhuman, supernatural.
- Of an element of an extension field: not algebraic, that is, not the root of any polynomial that has positive degree and rational coefficients; also, of an extension field: that contains elements which are not algebraic.e.g.“Suppose that Flt;E is purely transcendental. Show that any simple extension of F contained in E (but not equal to F) is transcendental over F.” — 2006, Steven Roman, “Algebraic Independence”, in Field Theory (Graduate Texts in Mathematics; 158), 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Springer, →ISBN, part I (Field Extensions), page 108:
- Of a function or number: not algebraic.e.g.“The numbers e and #92;pi are transcendental—written as decimals, the numbers after the decimal point continue infinitely and do not enter a permanently repeating pattern.”
noun
- A thing which is transcendental (all adjective senses).
- A thing which is transcendental (all adjective senses).; Any one of the transcendental properties of being, especially beauty, goodness, and truth—which are respectively the ideals of art, religion, and science, and thus the principal subjects of the study of aesthetics, ethics, and logic.
- A thing which is transcendental (all adjective senses).; An element of an extension field, an extension field, a function, or a number which is not algebraic.
- Synonym of transcendentalist (“one who believes in transcendentalism; a philosopher who asserts that true knowledge is obtained by faculties of the mind that transcend sensory experience”).
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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