distill

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

distill (third-person singular simple present distills, present participle distilling, simple past and past participle distilled)

1. US standard spelling of distil.
   • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 83, column 2:

     There is ſome ſoule of goodneſſe in things euill, / VVould men obſeruingly diſtill it out.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 32:2, column 2:

     My doctrine ſhall drop as the raine: my ſpeach ſhall diſtill as the deaw, as the ſmal raine vpon the tender herbe, and as the ſhowres vpon the graſſe.

   • [1716], [John] Gay, “Book III. Of Walking the Streets by Night.”, in Trivia: Or, The Art of Walking the Streets of London, London: […] Bernard Lintott, […], →OCLC, page 56:

     So vvhen tvvo Boars, in vvild Ytene bred, / Or on VVeſtphalia’s fatt’ning Cheſt-nuts fed, / […] / In the black Flood they vvallovv o’er and o’er, / ’Till their arm’d Javvs diſtill vvith Foam and Gore.

   • 1810, Robert Southey, “The Enchantress”, in The Curse of Kehama, London: […] [F]or Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […], by James Ballantyne and Co. […], →OCLC, page 113:

     The wine which from yon wounded palm on high / Fills yonder gourd, as slowly it distills, / Grows sour at once if Lorrinite pass by.

   • 1823 November 30, Michael Faraday, “LXXXVI. On Fluid Chlorine. […]”, in Alexander Tilloch, Richard Taylor, editors, The Philosophical Magazine and Journal: Comprehending the Various Branches of Science, the Liberal and Fine Arts, Agriculture, Manufactures, and Commerce, volume LXII, number 307, London: […] Richard Taylor, […]; and sold by Cadell; Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown;  […], →OCLC, page 419:

     Carbonic acid is a limpid colourless body, extremely fluid, and floating upon the other contents of the tube. It distills readily and rapidly at the difference of temperature between 32° and 0°.

Derived terms

• distillability
• distillable
• distiller
• distillery
• distillment
• redistill