1. the process of heating a liquid to create vapor and then cooling the vapor to produce a purified liquid
Usage: chemistry; scientific
2. the essential meaning or most important aspects of something
Usage: figurative
3. a concentrated liquid produced by distillation, especially alcoholic spirits

Examples

• The distillation of seawater removes salt and other impurities.
• In chemistry class, we learned about the distillation of crude oil.
• The book is a distillation of years of research on the topic.
• Her speech was a perfect distillation of the main issues.
• The distillation process produces high-proof alcohol.
• Water distillation requires careful temperature control.
• This report is a distillation of the committee’s findings.