distillation
/ˌdɪstɪˈleɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌdɪstɪˈleɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌdi-stə-ˈlā-shən/ (ame, mw)
distillation — noun
- distillationsingular
- distillationsplural
1. the process of heating a liquid so that part of it rises as vapour and is cooled
the process of heating a liquid so that part of it rises as vapour and is cooled back into liquid, usually to purify it, strengthen alcohol, or collect the liquid produced in this way
Aaron learned basic distillation while making rose water in his grandmother's kitchen.
distillation while making [product]
The science teacher showed steam distillation with orange peel after lunch.
collocation: steam distillation
Selim checked the copper pipes before the whisky distillation began at dawn.
Bao labelled the first distillation from the still and sealed it in a glass bottle.
After three hours of distillation, the herbs produced a clear oil.
- distilling
names the action only, not the liquid collected from it
- purification
broader term; a liquid can be purified without using heat and cooling
- distillate
refers only to the liquid produced, not the full process
- contamination
the addition of unwanted material rather than the removal of it
文法句型
distillation of [liquid/substance]
steam distillation
a distillation
用法筆記
Usually uncountable when it names the heating and cooling process. In technical or lab writing, it can also be countable when referring to the liquid collected at the end, as in 'the first distillation.'
常見錯誤
2. the act of reducing a long text, discussion, or experience to its most important
the act of reducing a long text, discussion, or experience to its most important ideas, or the clear essence that remains after this reduction
Michael wrote a one-page distillation of the meeting for absent staff.
a distillation of [discussion]
Yael's article is a distillation of years of field notes.
The host ended the podcast with a clear distillation of the new tax rules.
Xiu turned the long lecture into a short distillation for her classmates.
After the retreat, Dahlia shared a distillation of what the team had learned.
文法句型
a distillation of [text/discussion]
distillation of [experience/ideas]
用法筆記
Often followed by 'of' plus the book, talk, report, or experience being reduced. It can name either the act of boiling material down to its essentials or the finished summary that remains.