Definition of "distill" [dis•till]

• To subject (a substance) to distillation. (verb-transitive)
• To separate (a distillate) by distillation. (verb-transitive)
• To increase the concentration of, separate, or purify by or as if by distillation. (verb-transitive)
• To separate or extract the essential elements of: distill the crucial points of the book. (verb-transitive)
• To exude or give off (matter) in drops or small quantities. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The word distill comes from the Latin destillare, “to drip.”"
• "For a perverse death cult with powerful members in every stratum of society has learned how to distill from the bones of their sacrificed victims the ultimate thrill — a nectar that, once tasted, is impossible to resist."
• "I believe that oil wins (b) by a large margin, but hydrogen may win (a) and (c), depending on the source of the energy required to "distill" it."