Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “distil” come from?

Distil comes from Middle English distillen, from Old French distiller, from Latin distillo and destillare, formed from the prefix de- meaning "down" and a root from Proto-Indo-European ster-.

distil (English): To subject to distillation; To undergo or be...

Definitions

  1. To subject to distillation; To undergo or be...

Ancestry of “distil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdistillen—
2Old Frenchdistiller—
3Latindistillarepresent active infinitive of distīllō;...
4Latinstillaa drop; a drop, small quantity

Words derived from “distil”

  • distilment
  • redistil
Every word from Latin stilla →