distillation

[ dis-tl-ey-shuhn ]

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.

distillation

/ ˌdɪstɪˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, or product of distilling
2. the process of evaporating or boiling a liquid and condensing its vapour
3. See fractional distillation
   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. See distillate
   another name for distillate
6. a concentrated essence

distillation

/ 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.

distillation

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.

Notes

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.”

Derived Forms

• disˈtillatory, adjective

Other Words From

• dis·til·la·to·ry [dih-, stil, -, uh, -tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], dis·til·la·tive [dih-, stil, -, uh, -tiv], adjective
• nondis·til·lation noun
• redis·til·lation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of distillation¹

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

Example Sentences

Preceding all those Gen Z memes and TikToks about the tragic unhipness of skinny jeans and Harry Potter fandom, that pitch-perfect first season was a prescient distillation of millennial anxieties about their waning cultural relevance.

From Washington Post

The memo was a distillation of the points Gloria had already raised at two City Council meetings that same year.

From Voice of San Diego

Arak is from the Arabic word for “sweat,” which is sort of unappetizing but also accurately describes the distillation process in action.

From The Daily Beast

The Waterloo researchers wanted to take the distillation process further.

From MIT Technology Review

The result is a perfect distillation of the ethos of The Flavor Equation, which comes out on October 27 and is featured in Eater’s fall 2020 cookbook preview.

From Eater

Desert Golfing is the distillation of Angry Birds into its purest essence.

From The Daily Beast

But the copper performs another important function: working as a catalyst in the distillation process.

From The Daily Beast

Why the size and shape of a copper still is at the core of whisky distillation.

From The Daily Beast

The low wine then goes through a second distillation phase in a smaller spirit still—but more on that in a moment.

From The Daily Beast

To produce deliciously smooth drams of single malt, the region has refined the ancient art of distillation.

From The Daily Beast

The yield was increased by acidulating the mixture with sulphuric acid before the distillation.

From Project Gutenberg

By distillation a small quantity of oil was isolated, which possesses the characteristic odor of the preparation.

From Project Gutenberg

He has repeatedly obtained it from distillation from human pathological fluids.

From Project Gutenberg

From the tincture prepared with proof spirit, by distillation and evaporation.

From Project Gutenberg

Anthracene is one of the last products passing over in the dry distillation of coal-tar.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• purification