Standard Lemma guide

distillation

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪstɪˈleɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, US: /ˌdɪstɪˈleɪʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /dɪstɪˈlæɪʃən/
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH2 S T AH0 L EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of falling in drops, or the act of pouring out in drops.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

That which falls in drops.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The separation of more volatile parts of a substance from less volatile ones by evaporation and condensation.

Purification through repeated or continuous distilling; rectification.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: chemical engineering

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The separation of more volatile parts of a substance from less volatile ones by evaporation and condensation.

Separation of petroleum into specific hydrocarbon groups; fractionation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: chemical engineering

Topics: chemistry, geography, geology, natural-sciences, petrochemistry, petrology, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The substance extracted by distilling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The transformation of a complex large language model into a smaller one.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: machine learning

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the process of purifying a liquid by boiling it and condensing its vapors

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: distillment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: natural process, natural action, action, activity

8

noun

Meaning 8

a purified liquid produced by condensation from a vapor during distilling; the product of distilling

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: distillate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: liquid

History

Etymology

From Middle English distillacioun, from Anglo-Norman distillacioun, from Latin distīllātiōnem, accusative of distīllātiō.

Across languages

Translations

58 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: изкапване (izkapvane) — falling in drips (act)
  • Finnish: pisarointi — falling in drips (act)
  • Greek: απόσταξη (apóstaxi) — falling in drips (act)
  • Māori: whakaturuturunga — falling in drips (act)
  • Portuguese: gotejamento — falling in drips (act)
  • Romanian: distilare — falling in drips (act)
  • Finnish: pisarointi — falling in drops (thing)
  • Māori: whakaturunga — falling in drops (thing)
  • Arabic: تَقْطِير (taqṭīr) — separation of a substance
  • Bulgarian: дестилация (destilacija) — separation of a substance
  • Catalan: destil·lació — separation of a substance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蒸餾 /蒸馏 (zhēngliù) — separation of a substance
  • Czech: destilace — separation of a substance
  • Dutch: destillatie — separation of a substance
  • Dutch: distillatie — separation of a substance
  • Finnish: tislaus — separation of a substance
  • French: distillation — separation of a substance
  • Georgian: გამოხდა (gamoxda) — separation of a substance
  • Georgian: დისტილაცია (disṭilacia) — separation of a substance
  • Georgian: რექტიფიკაცია (rekṭipiḳacia) — separation of a substance
  • German: Destillation — separation of a substance
  • Greek: απόσταξη (apóstaxi) — separation of a substance
  • Japanese: 蒸留 (jōryū) — separation of a substance
  • Korean: 증류 (jeungnyu) — separation of a substance
  • Malay: penyulingan — separation of a substance
  • Māori: iheunga — separation of a substance
  • Norman: distillâtion — separation of a substance
  • Norwegian: destillasjon — separation of a substance
  • Persian: تقطیر (taqtir) — separation of a substance
  • Polish: destylacja — separation of a substance
  • Portuguese: destilação — separation of a substance
  • Russian: дистилля́ция (distilljácija) — separation of a substance
  • Russian: перего́нка (peregónka) — separation of a substance
  • Spanish: destilación — separation of a substance
  • Swedish: destillering — separation of a substance
  • Swedish: destillation — separation of a substance
  • Tagalog: singawkintay — separation of a substance
  • Turkish: destilasyon — separation of a substance
  • Turkish: distilasyon — separation of a substance
  • Urdu: تقطیر (taqtīr) — separation of a substance
  • Volapük: steil — separation of a substance
  • Volapük: steilam — separation of a substance
  • Bulgarian: дестилат (destilat) — substance once extracted
  • Dutch: destillaat — substance once extracted
  • Dutch: distillaat — substance once extracted
  • Finnish: tisle — substance once extracted
  • Finnish: tislaustuote — substance once extracted
  • Georgian: გამონახადი (gamonaxadi) — substance once extracted
  • Georgian: დისტილატი (disṭilaṭi) — substance once extracted
  • German: Destillat — substance once extracted
  • Greek: απόσταγμα (apóstagma) — substance once extracted
  • Portuguese: destilado — substance once extracted
  • Spanish: destilado — substance once extracted
  • Turkish: damıtık — substance once extracted
  • Turkish: destilat — substance once extracted
  • Turkish: destile — substance once extracted
  • Volapük: steilot — substance once extracted
  • Volapük: steilat — substance once extracted
Real reading context

distillation in complete knowledge articles