distillation

noun

dis·​til·​la·​tion ˌdi-stə-ˈlā-shən 

1

a

: the process of purifying a liquid by successive evaporation and condensation

b

: a process like distillation

gradual distillation of the truth

also : an instance of such distilling

2

: something distilled : distillate sense 2

Examples of distillation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its enormous space for visitors includes the Kitchen Table, a 5,000-square-foot restaurant and bar, and the Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery, a facility to explore new fermentation and distillation techniques. —Kara Newman, AFAR Media, 19 Apr. 2025

Modern GPUs and specialized AI chips have become vastly more efficient, with advancements in tensor cores, memory bandwidth and techniques like model quantization and distillation. —Guru Sethupathy, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

These brands typically use processes like reverse osmosis or distillation to purify their water, effectively removing fluoride. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

Essentially, that means putting it through vacuum distillation using a spinning cone to deconstruct the wine into its component parts. —Eric Asimov, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing distillation

• destructive distillation

Rhymes for distillation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

distillation

noun

dis·​til·​la·​tion ˌdis-tə-ˈlā-shən 

: a process of heating a liquid or solid until it sends off a vapor and then cooling the vapor until it becomes liquid

Medical Definition

distillation

noun

dis·​til·​la·​tion ˌdis-tə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: a process that consists of driving gas or vapor from liquids or solids by heating and condensing to liquid products and that is used especially for purification, fractionation, or the formation of new substances

2

: something distilled