Purified a liquid by heating it to create steam, then cooling and collecting that steam; or reduced something to its most important or pure form.
From Latin 'destillare' (de- down + stillare to drip), referring to the dripping of condensed liquid. The metaphorical sense (essential meaning) developed in the 16th-17th centuries.
Distillation is one of humanity's oldest technologies—ancient Egyptians and Greeks used it for perfumes and medicines before it became crucial for making alcohol and gasoline.
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