Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “distill” come from?

Distill comes from Middle English distillen, from Old French distiller, from Latin distillo and destillare, formed from the prefix de- meaning "down" and Proto-Indo-European ster- meaning "to spread or extend."

distill (English): To subject a substance to distillation; To...

Definitions

  1. To subject a substance to distillation; To...

Ancestry of “distill”, step by step

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

Words derived from “distill”

  • distillery
  • distiller
  • distillable
  • redistill
  • distilleth
  • distillment
  • nondistillable
  • undistillable
  • distillest
  • distillability
  • indistillable
  • microdistiller
  • undistillability
  • microdistillery
Every word from Latin stilla →