DISTILLATION

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does distillation mean? 

• DISTILLATION (noun)
  The noun DISTILLATION has 2 senses:

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

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

  Familiarity information: DISTILLATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISTILLATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

distillation; distillment

Hypernyms ("distillation" is a kind of...):

action; activity; natural action; natural process (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))

Derivation:

distill (undergo the process of distillation)

distill (extract by the process of distillation)

distill (remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

distillate; distillation

Hypernyms ("distillation" is a kind of...):

liquid (a substance that is liquid at room temperature and pressure)

Derivation:

distill (undergo the process of distillation)

distill (extract by the process of distillation)

distill (remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation)

 Context examples 

A low viscosity liquid by-product of the distillation of petroleum consisting of a mixture of alkanes in the C15 to C40 range.

(Light Mineral Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

An unsaturated pentahydrocarbon, Isoprene is found in certain plants or obtained by distillation of caoutchouc or gutta-percha.

(Isoprene, NCI Thesaurus)

A shiny, dark brown to black by-product of the distillation of coal tars and contains various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their methyl and polymethyl derivatives, as well as hetero-nuclear compounds.

(Coal Tar Pitch, NCI Thesaurus)

Toxic, volatile, flammable liquid hydrocarbon byproduct of coal distillation.

(Benzene, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Methods of fractionation, isolation, and purification based on the physico-chemical properties of the substance, e.g. crystallization, distillation, solubility (miscibility).

(Chemical Fractionation, NCI Thesaurus)

Naphthalene is obtained from either coal tar or petroleum distillation and is primarily used to manufacture phthalic anhydride, but is also used in moth repellents.

(Naphthalene, NCI Thesaurus)