Word: distill (verb)

Associations

The word "distill" means to purify a liquid by heating it until it becomes vapor and then cooling it back to liquid. It is often used in science, cooking, and making drinks like whiskey. It can also mean to take the most important parts of something and express them clearly.

• Example 1: "They distill water to remove impurities." Here, it means cleaning water by vaporizing and condensing it.
• Example 2: "The author distills complex ideas into simple language." Here, it means making something complicated simpler.
• Example 3: "Distilled spirits like vodka are made through distillation." This is about making strong alcoholic drinks.

A well-known synonym is "extract." But "extract" means to take something out from a mixture, not always by heating and cooling. "Distill" specifically involves vapor and condensation or making a pure, clear idea.

Substitution

Instead of "distill," you can say:

• Purify (when talking about cleaning liquids)
• Extract (when taking something out)
• Summarize or condense (when talking about ideas)

Each changes the meaning slightly:

• "Purify" focuses on making clean.
• "Extract" focuses on taking out.
• "Summarize" focuses on making shorter and clearer.

Deconstruction

"Distill" comes from Latin "distillare," where "dis-" means "apart" and "stillare" means "to drip." So it literally means "to drip apart," referring to the process of vapor dripping down during purification.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you had to explain something complicated in a simple way? Would "distill" fit to describe that?
• Have you ever seen how water or alcohol is made through distillation?
• How is "distilling" an idea different from just "summarizing" it?