distillation
/ˌdɪstɪˈleɪʃn
/noun [mass noun]
1The action of purifying a liquid by a process of heating and cooling: the petroleum distillation process...
- DHA contains highly concentrated omega-3 fatty acids from ultra purified, concentrated by molecular distillation.
- However, in broad terms, petroleum can be divided into six fractions obtained from fractional distillation of the crude oil.
- There are several ways of obtaining the oil, the most common being steam distillation.
Synonyms
distilling, purification, refining, filtering, filtration, treatment, processing;
sublimation
rare fractionation
pressing, squeezing;
extraction, extracting, drawing out;
concentration, condensation, reduction
2The extraction of the essential meaning or most important aspects of something: this book represents the distillation of years of experience in the private sector [count noun]: the film is a distillation of personal experiences...
- Some months ago, I thought the Hot Wheels Shark Playset was an especially effective distillation of the id of young boys.
- Noam Chomsky does not cajole the listener; he presents his arguments - a distillation of copious reading - with disarming candor.
- Distinct from the European surrealist writers, who were concerned with distillation of dreams, Neruda harnessed the natural world.