To draw out or extract something slowly and gradually, like liquid dripping from a container.
From Latin ex- (out) + stillare (to drip or distill). The word originally described the slow extraction of liquid through distillation or similar processes.
Alchemists used this term constantly when describing how to extract essences from plants—it's the ancestor of our modern word 'distill,' and both capture that slow, careful separation process.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.