distill

dis·till

verb \di-ˈstil\

dis·tilleddis·till·ing

Definition of DISTILL

transitive verb

1

: to let fall, exude, or precipitate in drops or in a wet mist

2

a : to subject to or transform by distillation <distill molasses into rum> b : to obtain by or as if by distillation <distill whiskey> <able to distill humor from personal loss> c : to extract the essence of : concentrate

intransitive verb

1

a : to fall or materialize in drops or in a fine moisture b : to appear slowly or in small quantities at a time

2

a : to undergo distillation b : to perform distillation

Variants of DISTILL

dis·till also dis·til \di-ˈstil\

Examples of DISTILL

1. They distill the whiskey from malted barley.
2. He has perfectly distilled the meaning of the holiday into a poem.

Origin of DISTILL

Middle English distillen, from Anglo-French distiller, from Late Latin distillare, alteration of Latin destillare, from de- + stillare to drip, from stilla drop

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to DISTILL

Synonyms: drip (also distil), dribble, drop, trickle

Related Words: drizzle, sprinkle; flow, pour, roll, run, stream; cascade, gutter, riffle, ripple; bleed, exude, ooze, seep, weep; discharge

Near Antonyms: gush, spout, spurt

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

Rhymes with DISTILL

anthill, at will, backfill, ball mill, bluegill, Brazil, breast drill, cranesbill, crossbill, de Mille, dentil, de-skill, doorsill, downhill, duckbill, dullsville, dunghill, fire drill, foothill, freewill, free will, gin mill, goodwill, gristmill, handbill, hawksbill, hornbill, Huntsville, ill will, instill, Knoxville, lambkill, landfill, limekiln, manille, McGill, Melville, mixed grill, molehill, mudsill, Nashville, no-till, pep pill, per mill, playbill, pot still, pug mill, quadrille, red squill, refill, roadkill, sawmill, Schuylkill, self-will, Seville, sheathbill, shoebill, show bill, sidehill, sigil, spadille, spoonbill, stabile, standstill, stock-still, storksbill, T-bill, treadmill, true bill, twin bill, twist drill, until, uphill, vaudeville, waxbill, waybill, windchill, windmill, Zangwill