distil

verb

1. (UK, transitive)To exude (a liquid) in small drops; also, to give off (a vapour) which condenses in small drops.

   “Firs distil resin.”

   “[I]t [Silene] eaſeth the head-ach, if togither with oile of roſes it be diſtilled upon the head by way of embrochation.”

   “[B]eſide it [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] ſtood One ſhap'd & wing'd like one of thoſe from Heav'n By us oft ſeen; his dewie locks diſtill'd Ambroſia; […]”

   “[page 250] […] Trees do deſtil VVater a pace when Clouds or Miſts hang about them; […] [page 251] Beſides that in hot Regions Trees may in the nigh time deſtil VVater, though the Air be clear, and there be no Miſt about them, […]”

   “Animals are a little like ourselves: they excel in an art only on condition of specializing in it. The Epeira, who, being omnivorous, is obliged to generalize, abandons scientific methods and makes up for this by distilling a poison capable of producing torpor and even death, no matter what the point attacked.”

2. (UK, broadly, figuratively, transitive)To impart (information, etc.) in small quantities; to infuse.

   “She felt the slackening frost distil Through her blood the last ooze dull and chill: Her lids were dry and her lips were still.”

3. (UK, transitive)To heat (a substance, usually a liquid) so that a vapour is produced, and then to cool the vapour so that it condenses back into a liquid, either to purify the original substance or to obtain one of its components; to subject to distillation.

   “Haue I not bene Thy Pupill long? Haſt thou not learn'd me how To make Perfumes? Diſtill? Preſerue?”

   “By putting the hydrate into a bent tube, afterwards hermetically sealed, I found it easy, after decomposing it by a heat of 100°, to distil the yellow fluid to one end of the tube, and so separate it from the remaining portion.”

   “[I]n fact, it [kelp] is used in a variety of medicines; we boil, burn, and distil it to produce salts, corrodents, sublimates, and other medicinal substances.”

4. (UK, transitive)Followed by off or out: to expel (a volatile substance) from something by distillation.
5. (UK, also, figuratively, transitive)To extract the essence of (something) by, or as if by, distillation; to concentrate, to purify.

   “But earthlyer happy is the roſe diſtild, Then that, which, withering on the virgin thorne, Growes, liues, and dies, in ſingle bleſſedneſſe.”

   “But flowers diſtil'd though they with winter meete, Leeſe but their ſhow, their ſubſtance ſtill liues ſweet.”

   “An herb deſtill'd, and drunk, may dwell next doore, On the ſame floore, To a brave ſoul: Exalt the poore, They can do more.”

   “[T]he ladies […] begged me to excuſe ſome large ſieves of leaves and flowers that covered two thirds of the floor; for they intended to diſtil them when they were dry, and they had no other room that ſo conveniently received the riſing ſun.”

   “Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy—[…]—distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its flavor.”

6. (UK, also, figuratively, transitive)To transform a thing (into something else) by distillation.

   “Ile grow to your embraces, till two ſoules Diſtilled into kiſſes, through our lips Doe make one ſpirit of love.”

7. (UK, also, figuratively, transitive)To make (something, especially spirits such as gin and whisky) by distillation.

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

   “It is ſuppoſ'd He that meetes Hector, yſſues from our choice, And choice (being mutuall act of all our ſoules) Makes merit her election, and doth boyle, (As twere from forth vs all) a man diſtill'd Out of our vertues, […]”

   “VVhat potions haue I drunke of Syren teares Diſtil'd from Lymbecks foule as hell within, Applying feares to hops, and hopes to feares, Still looſing when I ſaw my ſelfe to win?”

   “They haue Arack or Vſquebagh, diſtilled from Dates or Rice, both which are Epidemick in their mirth and Feſtiuals.”

   “Thou art no Sabbath drawler of old saws, Distill'd from some worm-canker'd homily; But spurr'd at heart with fieriest energy To embattail and to wall about thy cause With iron-worded proof, […]”

8. (UK, also, figuratively, transitive)To transform a complex large language model into a smaller one.

   ““We are aware of and reviewing indications that DeepSeek may have inappropriately distilled our models, and will share information as we know more,” she said.”

9. (UK, obsolete, transitive)To dissolve or melt (something).

   “Swords by the Light'ning's ſubtile Force diſtill'd, And the cold Sheath with running Metal fill'd: […]”

10. (UK, intransitive)To fall or trickle down in small drops; to exude, to ooze out; also, to come out as a vapour which condenses in small drops.

    “The Euphrates […] diſtilleth out of the mountains of Armenia.”

    “Let Myrrh inſtead of Thorn his Fences fill: And Show'rs of Hony from his Oaks diſtil.”

    “Balm, from a ſilver-box diſtill'd around, Shall all bedew the roots, and ſcent the ſacred ground.”

    “In vain kind ſeaſons ſwell'd the teeming grain, Soft ſhow'rs distill'd, and Suns grew warm in vain; The ſwain with tears to beaſts his labour yields, And famiſh'd dies amidſt his ripen'd fields.”

    “Nothing can be imagined more tender than was the parting between theſe two Lovers. A thouſand Sighs heaved the Boſom of Joſeph; a thouſand Tears diſtilled from the lovely Eyes of Fanny, […]”

11. (UK, intransitive)To flow or pass gently or slowly; hence (figuratively) to be manifested gently or gradually.

    “And al Iſrael haue tranſgreſſed thy law, and haue declined from hearing thy voice, and the malediction hath diſtilled vpon vs, & the deteſtation, which is written in the booke of Moyſes the ſeruant of God, becauſe we haue ſinned to him.”

    “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.”

    “[L]et the Subject treated on be whatever it will, their Imaginations are ſo entirely poſſeſs'd and replete with the Defects of other Pens, that the very Quinteſſence of what is bad, does of neceſſity diſtil into their own: by which means the whole appears to be nothing elſe but an Abſtract of the Criticiſms themſelves have made.”

    “Th' experienced Neſtor, in Perſuaſion skill'd, Words, ſweet as Honey, from his Lips diſtill'd: […]”

    “Thy bountiful care What tongue can recite? It breathes in the air, It shines in the light: It streams from the hills, It descends to the plain, And sweetly distils In the dew and the rain.”

12. (UK, intransitive)To drip or be wet with some liquid.

    “So when two Boars, in wild Ytene bred, Or on VVeſtphalia’s fatt’ning Cheſt-nuts fed, […] In the black Flood they wallow o’er and o’er, ’Till their arm’d Jaws diſtill with Foam and Gore.”

    “[B]efore ſome Mountain Lion's Ire The village Curs, and trembling Swains retire; VVhen o'er the ſlaughter'd Bull they hear him roar, And ſee his Jaws diſtil with ſmoaking Gore; […]”

    “[A] magnificent beau in silk stockings and pumps, bounding, skipping, swinging, capering, and throwing himself into ten thousand attitudes, till his face glows with fever, and distils with perspiration: […]”

13. (UK, intransitive)To turn into a vapour and then condense back into a liquid; to undergo or be produced by distillation.

    “The outward Peace of the Church, Diſtilleth into Peace of Conſcience; […]”

    “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°.”