Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Distill
Dis-till′
,Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Distilled
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Distilling
.] [F. ,
distiller
, from L. destillare
, destillatum
; de
+ stillare
to drop, stilla
a drop, prob. fr. stiria
frozen drop, icicle; prob. akin to stare
, E. stand
. Cf. Still
, Noun.
& Verb.
Instill
.] [Written also
distil
.] 1.
To drop; to fall in drops; to trickle.
Soft showers
distilled
, and suns grew warm in vain. Pope.
2.
To flow gently, or in a small stream.
The Euphrates
distilleth
out of the mountains of Armenia. Sir W. Raleigh.
3.
To practice the art of distillation.
Shak.
Dis-till′
,Verb.
T.
1.
To let fall or send down in drops.
Or o’er the glebe
distill
the kindly rain. Pope.
The dew which on the tender grass
The evening had
The evening had
distilled
. Drayton.
2.
To obtain by distillation; to subject to a process of evaporation and subsequent condensation; to extract by distillation, as spirits, essential oil, etc.; to rectify;
“Distilling odors on me.” as, to
distill
brandy from wine; to distill
alcoholic spirits from grain; to distill
essential oils from flowers, etc.; to distill
fresh water from sea water. Tennyson.
3.
To subject to distillation;
as, to
distill
molasses in making rum; to distill
barley, rye, corn, etc.4.
To dissolve or melt.
[R.]
Swords by the lightning's subtle force
distilled
. Addison.
Webster 1828 Edition
Distill
DISTILL
,Verb.
I.
1.
To drop; to fall in drops. Soft showers distilld, and suns grew warm in vain.
2.
To flow gently, or in a small stream.The Euphrates distilleth out of the mountains of Armenia.
3.
To use a still; to practice distillation.DISTILL
,Verb.
T.
1.
To let fall in drops; to throw down in drops. The clouds distill water on the earth.The dew, which on the tender grass the evening had distilled.
2.
To extract by heat; to separate spirit or essential oils from liquor by heat or evaporation, and convert that vapor into a liquid by condensation in a refrigeratory; to separate the volatile parts of a substance by heat; to rectify; as, to distill brandy from wine, or spirit form melasses.3.
To extract spirit from, by evaporation and condensation; as, to distill cyder or melasses; to distill wine.4.
To extract the pure part of a fluid; as, to distill water.5.
To dissolve or melt. [Unusual.] Swords by the lightnings subtle force distilled.
Definition 2024
distill
distill
English
Alternative forms
- distil (Commonwealth)
Verb
distill (third-person singular simple present distills, present participle distilling, simple past and past participle distilled)
- (transitive) To subject a substance to distillation.
- (intransitive) To undergo or be produced by distillation.
- (transitive) To make by means of distillation, especially whisky.
- (transitive) To exude in small drops.
- Firs distill resin.
- (transitive) To impart in small quantities.
- (transitive) To extract the essence of; concentrate; purify.
- 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, Nobody, chapter I:
- Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy […] distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour.
- 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, Nobody, chapter I:
- (intransitive) To trickle down or fall in small drops; ooze out.
- Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
- Soft showers distilled, and suns grew warm in vain.
- Sir Walter Raleigh (ca.1554-1618)
- The Euphrates distilleth out of the mountains of Armenia.
- Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
- (intransitive) To be manifested gently or gradually.
- (intransitive) To drip or be wet with.
Derived terms
Derived terms
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Translations
subject to distillation — see distil
undergo distillation — see distil
make by distillation — see distil
exude in small drops — see distil
trickle down in small drops — see distil