[dis-tl-ey-shuh
n] 
| 1. | the volatilization or evaporation and subsequent condensation of a liquid, as when water is boiled in a retort and the steam is condensed in a cool receiver. |
| 2. | the purification or concentration of a substance, the obtaining of the essence or volatile properties contained in it, or the separation of one substance from another, by such a process. |
| 3. | a product of distilling; distillate. |
| 4. | the act or fact of distilling or the state of being distilled. |
[di-stil-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] , dis⋅til⋅la⋅tive [di-stil-uh-tiv] , adjective In chemistry, the separating of the constituents of a liquid by boiling it and then condensing the vapor that results. Distillation can be used to purify water or other substances, or to remove one component from a complex mixture, as when gasoline is distilled from crude oil or alcohol from a mash. When water is purified by distillation, it is boiled in a container, and the steam is sent into cooling tubes. The steam is condensed and then collected as purified water in a second container. The impurities in the water are left behind in the first container and can be discarded.
Note: Figuratively, “distillation” is the process of retaining the essential features or components of something while removing nonessentials: “This book represents knowledge distilled from decades of research.”
distillation dis·til·la·tion (dĭs'tə-lā'shən)
n.
The evaporation and subsequent collection of a liquid by condensation as a means of purification.
The extraction of the volatile components of a mixture by the condensation and collection of the vapors that are produced as the mixture is heated.