See Also: distil(medicine)
distil(dictionary)

distil (iou)



distil verb & noun. Also *distill. LME.
[(Partly through Old & mod. French distiller) from Latin distillare alt. of destillare, from de- DE- 1 + stillare, from stilla a drop.]
A. verb. Infl. -ll-.
verb intrans. Trickle down or fall in minute drops; issue in drops or as a fine moisture; ooze out. LME.
Pope Soft showers distill'd, and suns grew warm in vain.
b. fig. Come or be manifested gently or gradually. E17.
R. Grant Thy bountiful care..sweetly distils in the dew and the rain.
c. Drip or be wet with. E18.
verb trans. Let fall or exude in minute drops, or in a vapour that condenses into drops. LME.
Milton His dewie locks distill'd Ambrosia.
verb trans. Give out or impart (a quality, principle, etc.) in minute quantities, infuse. Formerly also, instil. (Foll. by into.) LME.
I. Walton There was distilled into the minds of the common people..venomous and turbulent principles.
verb trans. Subject to the process of distillation; convert (into), or drive (a volatile constituent) off or out, by this means. LME.
R. Kirwan Brisson dissolved 2 oz. of the purest common salt in 16 oz. of distilled water. J. Belknap Molasses to be distilled into rum.
verb trans. Obtain, extract, produce, or make by distillation (lit. & fig.); esp. make (whisky etc.) by distilling raw materials. LME.
E. Templeton Wondering how far her mother distilled her knowledge from actual experience. P. L. Fermor A liqueur distilled from Tokay grapes.
verb trans. Extract the essence of (a plant etc. by distillation, a doctrine etc.); concentrate, purify. LME.
L. Edel He distilled from the elaborate theorizing of the French poets the essence of symbolist doctrine.
verb intrans. Undergo distillation; vaporize and then condense; pass over as a vapour. LME.
H. Davy The acid..distills unaltered at 248 Fahrenheit.
verb trans. Melt, dissolve, (lit. & fig.). L15-E18.
verb intrans. Perform distillation. E17.
B. noun. A vessel used in distillation; a still. E18-E19.
distillable adjective E17.