distill

Everyday

1. To make a liquid pure by heating it into steam (vapour) and cooling the steam back into liquid. tree →
2. To make a drink like whisky this way. tree →
3. To take the most important parts of an idea or text and put them in a short form. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons distillation separates a liquid from a mixture, such as getting pure water from salty water; in everyday life distilled water goes in irons; in writing, you distil a long story into a summary; phrases: «distilled water», «distil the main points».

Examples

• We distilled salty water to get pure water. tree →
• Distilled water is used in car batteries and irons. tree →
• Whisky is distilled in Scotland and Ireland. tree →
• Can you distill the story into one sentence? tree →
• The steam cooled in the tube and became distilled water. tree →
• The teacher helped us distill our ideas into a poster. tree →
• Perfumes are made by distilling flowers. tree →
• Your majesty is well aware that I sometimes amuse myself by distilling very powerful medicines. tree →

Note

US spelling «distill»; UK spelling «distil» (distils), but both have distilled, distilling. Noun: distillation; a place that makes spirits is a distillery. Science: distillation works because liquids boil at different temperatures; water boils at 100 °C.