distillation

American  

[dis-tl-ey-shuhn] / ˌdɪs tlˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the volatilization or evaporation and subsequent condensation of a liquid, as when water is boiled in a retort and the steam is condensed in a cool receiver.

2. the purification or concentration of a substance, the obtaining of the essence or volatile properties contained in it, or the separation of one substance from another, by such a process.

3. a product of distilling; distillate.

4. the act or fact of distilling or the state of being distilled.

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distillation British  

/ ˌdɪstɪˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, or product of distilling

2. the process of evaporating or boiling a liquid and condensing its vapour

3. purification or separation of mixture by using different evaporation rates or boiling points of their components See also fractional distillation

4. the process of obtaining the essence or an extract of a substance, usually by heating it in a solvent

5. another name for distillate

6. a concentrated essence

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distillation Scientific  

/ dĭs′tə-lā′shən /

1. A method of separating a substance that is in solution from its solvent or of separating a liquid from a mixture of liquids having different boiling points. The liquid to be separated is evaporated (as by boiling), and its vapor is then collected after it condenses. Distillation is used to separate fresh water from a salt solution and gasoline from petroleum.

2. ◆ The condensed vapor, which is the purified liquid, is called the distillate.

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distillation Cultural  

1. In chemistry, the separating of the constituents of a liquid by boiling it and then condensing the vapor that results. Distillation can be used to purify water or other substances, or to remove one component from a complex mixture, as when gasoline is distilled from crude oil or alcohol from a mash. When water is purified by distillation, it is boiled in a container, and the steam is sent into cooling tubes. The steam is condensed and then collected as purified water in a second container. The impurities in the water are left behind in the first container and can be discarded.

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Discover More

Figuratively, “distillation” is the process of retaining the essential features or components of something while removing nonessentials: “This book represents knowledge distilled from decades of research.”

Other Word Forms

• distillative adjective
• distillatory adjective
• nondistillation noun
• redistillation noun

Etymology

Origin of distillation

1350–1400; Middle English distillacioun (< Anglo-French ) < Latin distillātiōn- (stem of distillātiō ), equivalent to distillāt ( us ) distillate + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

In its blog post, Anthropic said the industry would need to work with policymakers to combat widespread distillation.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

Anthropic isn’t the only frontier lab documenting distillation attacks.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

“It’s hard to say how much distillation matters for the Chinese AI models,” Chan said.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

What the more casual spectator wants, and gets, is a highly dramatic, bingeable distillation of a sport that involves multimillion-dollar cars going in eccentric circles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

The still operates on the principle of distillation: sea water lying beneath the sealed cone on the black canvas is heated by the sun and evaporates, gathering on the inside surface of the cone.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Related Words

• purification