distil

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dis·till

also dis·til (dĭ-stĭl′)

v. dis·tilled, dis·till·ing, dis·tills also dis·tilled or dis·til·ling or dis·tils

v.tr.

1. To subject (a substance) to distillation.

2. To separate (a distillate) by distillation.

3. To increase the concentration of, separate, or purify by or as if by distillation.

4. To separate or extract the essential elements of: distill the crucial points of the book.

5. To exude or give off (matter) in drops or small quantities.

v.intr.

1. To undergo or be produced by distillation.

2. To fall or exude in drops or small quantities.

[Middle English distillen, from Old French distiller, from Latin distillāre, variant of dēstillāre, to trickle : dē-, de- + stillāre, to drip (from stilla, drop).]

dis·till′a·ble adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

distil

(dɪsˈtɪl) or

distill

vb, -tils, -tills, -tilling or -tilled

1. (Chemistry) to subject to or undergo distillation. See also rectify²

2. (Chemistry) (sometimes foll by: out or off) to purify, separate, or concentrate, or be purified, separated, or concentrated by distillation

3. (Brewing) to obtain or be obtained by distillation: to distil whisky.

4. (Chemistry) to obtain or be obtained by distillation: to distil whisky.

5. to exude or give off (a substance) in drops or small quantities

6. (tr) to extract the essence of as if by distillation

[C14: from Latin dēstillāre to distil, from de- + stillāre to drip]

disˈtillable adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dis•till

(dɪˈstɪl)

v.t.

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

2. to extract volatile components from or transform by distillation.

3. to concentrate, purify, or separate by or as if by distillation.

4. to extract the essential elements of.

v.i.

5. to undergo or perform distillation.

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

7. to fall in drops; trickle.

[1325–75; Middle English (< Anglo-French distiller) < Latin distillāre, variant of dēstillāre to trickle down, distill =dē- de- + stillāre to drip]

dis•till′a•ble, adj.

distil

Past participle: distilled
Gerund: distilling

Imperative
distil
distil

Present
I distil
you distil
he/she/it distils
we distil
you distil
they distil

Preterite
I distilled
you distilled
he/she/it distilled
we distilled
you distilled
they distilled

Present Continuous
I am distilling
you are distilling
he/she/it is distilling
we are distilling
you are distilling
they are distilling

Present Perfect
I have distilled
you have distilled
he/she/it has distilled
we have distilled
you have distilled
they have distilled

Past Continuous
I was distilling
you were distilling
he/she/it was distilling
we were distilling
you were distilling
they were distilling

Past Perfect
I had distilled
you had distilled
he/she/it had distilled
we had distilled
you had distilled
they had distilled

Future
I will distil
you will distil
he/she/it will distil
we will distil
you will distil
they will distil

Future Perfect
I will have distilled
you will have distilled
he/she/it will have distilled
we will have distilled
you will have distilled
they will have distilled

Future Continuous
I will be distilling
you will be distilling
he/she/it will be distilling
we will be distilling
you will be distilling
they will be distilling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been distilling
you have been distilling
he/she/it has been distilling
we have been distilling
you have been distilling
they have been distilling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been distilling
you will have been distilling
he/she/it will have been distilling
we will have been distilling
you will have been distilling
they will have been distilling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been distilling
you had been distilling
he/she/it had been distilling
we had been distilling
you had been distilling
they had been distilling

Conditional
I would distil
you would distil
he/she/it would distil
we would distil
you would distil
they would distil

Past Conditional
I would have distilled
you would have distilled
he/she/it would have distilled
we would have distilled
you would have distilled
they would have distilled

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb	1.	distil - undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops; "water condenses"; "The acid distills at a specific temperature" condense, distill condense - develop due to condensation; "All our planets condensed out of the same material" condense - remove water from; "condense the milk" flux, liquify, liquefy - become liquid or fluid when heated; "the frozen fat liquefied"
	2.	distil - extract by the process of distillation; "distill the essence of this compound" distill, extract chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions moonshine - distill (alcohol) illegally; produce moonshine distill, distil - undergo the process of distillation create, make - make or cause to be or to become; "make a mess in one's office"; "create a furor"
	3.	distil - undergo the process of distillation distill chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" distil, distill, extract - extract by the process of distillation; "distill the essence of this compound" distill, make pure, purify, sublimate - remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation; "purify the water"
	4.	distil - give off (a liquid); "The doctor distilled a few drops of disinfectant onto the wound" distill exudate, exude, ooze out, transude, ooze - release (a liquid) in drops or small quantities; "exude sweat through the pores"

distil

verb

1. ferment, make, produce, brew The whisky had been distilled in 1926.

2. purify, process, filter, refine, treat, evaporate, condense, sublimate, vaporize When water is used it must be distilled

3. extract, express, squeeze, obtain, take out, draw out, separate out, press out The oil is distilled from the berries.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

Spanish / Español

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distil

distill (US) [dɪsˈtɪl] VT → destilar
distilled water → agua f destilada

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

distil

(diˈstil) (American) distill – past tense, past participle diˈstilled – verb

1. to get (a liquid) in a pure state by heating to steam or a vapour and cooling again. destilar

2. to obtain alcoholic spirit from anything by this method. Whisky is distilled from barley.destilar

ˌdistilˈlation noun

destilación

diˈstiller noun

a person or firm that distils and makes spirits. a firm of whisky-distillers.destilador

diˈstillery – plural diˈstilleries – noun

a place where distilling (of whisky, brandy etc) is done. destilería

References in classic literature ?

If it be boiled, it grows hard, and makes a kind of sugar much valued in the Indies: distil this liquor and you have a strong water, of which is made excellent vinegar.

View in context

"TO MAKE LILLY OF THE VALLEY WATER.--Take the flowers of lilly of the valley and distil them in sack, and drink a spooneful or two as there is occasion.

View in context

Dames of elevated rank, likewise, whose doors she entered in the way of her occupation, were accustomed to distil drops of bitterness into her heart; sometimes through that alchemy of quiet malice, by which women can concoct a subtle poison from ordinary trifles; and sometimes, also, by a coarser expression, that fell upon the sufferer's defenceless breast like a rough blow upon an ulcerated wound.

View in context

They are for unhappy people, like me, who must learn to distil by learned patience the aurum potabile from the husks of life, the peace which happier mortals find lying like manna each morn upon the meadows."

View in context

"She distils nothing of the kind, vile rabble," said Don Quixote, burning with rage, "nothing of the kind, I say, only ambergris and civet in cotton; nor is she one-eyed or humpbacked, but straighter than a Guadarrama spindle: but ye must pay for the blasphemy ye have uttered against beauty like that of my lady."

View in context

(Alliance News) - Shares in spirits maker Distil PLC jumped Monday after it launched a ready-to-drink RedLeg Spiced Rum drink with premium soft drinks maker Franklin & Sons.

Distil Shares Jump After RedLeg Rum Ready-To-Drink Product Launch

According to police source, the accused used to distil liquor and supply the contraband to the influential persons.