distill
Americanverb (used with object)
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to subject to a process of vaporization and subsequent condensation, as for purification or concentration.
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to extract the volatile components of by distillation; transform by distillation.
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to concentrate, purify, or obtain by or as by distillation.
to distill whiskey from mash.
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to remove by distillation (usually followed by off orout ).
to distill out impurities.
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to extract the essential elements of; refine; abstract.
She managed to distill her ideas into one succinct article.
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to let fall in drops; give forth in or as in drops.
The cool of the night distills the dew.
verb (used without object)
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to undergo or perform distillation.
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to become vaporized and then condensed in distillation.
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to drop, pass, or condense as a distillate.
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to fall in drops; trickle; exude.
Other Word Forms
- distillable adjective
- nondistillable adjective
- redistill verb (used with object)
- redistillable adjective
- redistillableness noun
Etymology
Origin of distill
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English distillen (from Anglo-French distiller ), from Latin distillāre, variant of dēstillāre, equivalent to dē- de- + stillāre to drip
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The oil giant paid the smaller company $320 million over a decade to tinker with the genetic makeup of algae to try to distill enough oil to make the venture technically viable.
“The Comeback” is a handy distilling mechanism for an industry that can’t help drowning itself in excess.
From Salon
The scarcity of naphtha -- a liquid distilled from petroleum that is essential for making ethylene, a key ingredient in everything from plastic grocery bags to food packaging -- risks a knock-on effect across many industries.
From Barron's
And unlike images—which can be distilled into objective gradations of red, green and blue light—smell is highly subjective, making it tough to standardize and calibrate.
John Julius Norwich first saw Venice at the age of 16 in the company of his cultured father, who packed into their brief visit the distilled perspectives of decades.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
