( NAmE also dis·till ) / dɪˈstɪl; NAmE / verb ( -ll- ) [ vn ]
1.
distil sth (from sth) to make a liquid pure by heating it until it becomes a gas, then cooling it and collecting the drops of liquid that form :
to distil fresh water from sea water
distilled water
2.
to make sth such as a strong alcoholic drink in this way :
The factory distils and bottles whisky.
3.
distil sth (from / into sth) ( formal ) to get the essential meaning or ideas from thoughts, information, experiences, etc. :
The notes I made on my travels were distilled into a book.
► dis·til·la·tion / ˌdɪstɪˈleɪʃn; NAmE / noun [ C , U ]:
the distillation process
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Latin distillare , variant of destillare , from de- down, away + stillare (from stilla a drop).