distillation
gb/dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən/ us/dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən/
C1
Anglais
Sens
0 sens
Nom
C1
process
1
purifying liquid by heating
a way to purify or separate a liquid by boiling it and cooling the steam
Schéma d’usage :
the distillation of [liquid/substance]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse distillation (the process) with distillate (the liquid produced).
Synonymes
distilling (another term for the same process, often used in technical or procedural contexts)
|
purification (broader; not limited to boiling and condensing)
Antonymes
contamination (the state of being made impure, rather than purified)
|
mixing (combining substances instead of separating them)
Collocations
distillation process
|fractional distillation
|steam distillation
|illegal distillation
|home distillation
|distillation apparatus
|distillation column
|distillation plant
|distillation unit
|distillation method
Thèmes
science
|chemistry
|food_and_drink
|manufacturing
Exemples
- The distillation of the fermented mash produces a clear spirit.
- They use distillation to remove salts and minerals from water.
- Modern refineries rely on distillation to separate crude oil into different fuels.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Distillation makes water cleaner.
- Whiskey is made by distillation.
Nom
formal
C1
abstract
2
essence or condensed summary
a short version that keeps only what is most important
Schéma d’usage :
a distillation of [ideas/experience/information]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may overuse it where simple words like summary or main point are more natural.
Synonymes
essence (focuses on the core quality rather than the process of reducing)
|
summary (more neutral and common; may include more detail than a 'distillation')
|
condensation (emphasizes shortening, often in writing)
Antonymes
expansion (adding detail rather than reducing to essentials)
|
digression (moving away from the main point rather than focusing it)
Collocations
a distillation of
|careful distillation
|distillation of ideas
|distillation of experience
|distillation of research
|distillation of data
|distillation of wisdom
|distillation of the debate
|a distillation of years of work
|a distillation of the report
Thèmes
communication
|education
|writing
|thinking
Exemples
- Her talk was a distillation of years of research into a few key insights.
- The new guide is a distillation of the company’s best advice for beginners.
- This paragraph is the distillation of the argument: cost matters more than speed.
Exemples pédagogiques
- This book is a distillation of his ideas.
- Give me a distillation of the main points.
Nom
technical
C2
entity
3
product obtained by distilling
the liquid you get after distilling
Schéma d’usage :
a distillation of [plant/oil/mixture]
Erreur fréquente :
This meaning is uncommon in everyday English; distillate is usually the clearer word for the product.
Synonymes
distillate (the standard technical word for the liquid collected after distillation)
Collocations
final distillation
|first distillation
|a floral distillation
|herbal distillation
|oil distillation
|aromatic distillation
|distillation of rose
|distillation of lavender
Thèmes
science
|chemistry
|food_and_drink
Exemples
- The lab collected the distillation in a clean receiving flask for analysis.
- Perfumers may use a rose distillation as a base for fragrance blends.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The distillation was stored in a bottle.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
distillation
API
GB/dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən/
US/dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən/
Syllabes et accentuation
dis - til - la - tion (4 syllabes)
Stress on 3rd syllable (la)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: distillation
- Plural: distillation, distillations
Famille de mots
Forms
distillations
noun
Core family
Related words
distillate
noun
distilled
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
undistilled
adjective
Expressions
destructive distillation
1/dɪstɹˈʌktɪv dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
heating without oxygen to decompose
heating a material without oxygen so it breaks into other substances
Exemples
- Destructive distillation of wood produces charcoal and volatile chemicals.
- In industrial history, destructive distillation was used to make coal tar from coal.
distillation column
1/dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən kˈɑləm/
fixed phrase
technical
tower that separates by distillation
a tall machine that separates liquids by distillation
Exemples
- Engineers monitored the temperature profile along the distillation column.
- A distillation column can separate a complex mixture into several useful products.
distillation flask
1/dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən flˈæsk/
fixed phrase
technical
glass container for distilling
a glass container used to boil a liquid in distillation
Exemples
- We placed the mixture in a distillation flask and heated it gently.
- Cracks in the distillation flask can be dangerous when the glass is under heat.
fractional distillation
1/fɹˈækʃənəl dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
separating liquids by boiling points
a method to separate mixed liquids by their different boiling points
Exemples
- Fractional distillation is used to separate crude oil into gasoline, diesel, and other products.
- In class, we used fractional distillation to separate ethanol from water.
steam distillation
1/stˈim dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
extracting oils using steam
a way to take oils from plants using steam
Exemples
- Many essential oils are produced by steam distillation of leaves and flowers.
- Steam distillation can help prevent heat damage to delicate compounds.
vacuum distillation
1/vˈækjum dˌɪstəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
distilling under reduced pressure
distillation done at low pressure so liquids boil at lower temperatures
Exemples
- The refinery uses vacuum distillation to process heavier fractions without overheating them.
- We chose vacuum distillation because the compound decomposes at high temperatures.