distill

especially British, dis·til

[dih-stil]

verb (used with object)

distilled, distilling 

1. to subject to a process of vaporization and subsequent condensation, as for purification or concentration.

2. to extract the volatile components of by distillation; transform by distillation.

3. to concentrate, purify, or obtain by or as by distillation.

   to distill whiskey from mash.

4. to remove by distillation (usually followed by off orout ).

   to distill out impurities.

5. to extract the essential elements of; refine; abstract.

   She managed to distill her ideas into one succinct article.

6. to let fall in drops; give forth in or as in drops.

   The cool of the night distills the dew.

verb (used without object)

distilled, distilling 

1. to undergo or perform distillation.

2. to become vaporized and then condensed in distillation.

3. to drop, pass, or condense as a distillate.

4. to fall in drops; trickle; exude.

Other Word Forms

• distillable adjective
• nondistillable adjective
• redistill verb (used with object)
• redistillable adjective
• redistillableness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of distill¹

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

Four letters distilled a practice that could take decades to internalize, making it repeatable even in the chaos of a busy kitchen.

From Salon

"After over two decades in the brewing and distilling arena sadly for personal reasons it's time for me to leave the industry that I love deeply and hopefully had a positive impact in," he said.

From BBC

The resulting image, published in Interiors magazine, distilled a seismic moment in L.A.’s creative history.

From Los Angeles Times

In politics, this means distilling a complex message into something emotional that has a direct connection to a person or group.

From Salon

If you distill all of this mean-spirited ignorance into an office, you would have the president’s press office…

From Salon

Related Words

• condense 
• extract 
• infuse 
• refine