Pistiller

Pistiller is a term with limited widely recognized use, appearing in two distinct contexts in English-language writing. The first sense treats pistiller as a small, portable distillation apparatus designed for simple steam or hydro-distillation of plant material to extract essential oils. A pistiller typically includes a heating element, a distillation path, a condenser, and a collection receiver; safety features may include temperature controls and a pressure-relief mechanism. This device-focused sense is common in hobbyist perfumery, aromatherapy, and introductory demonstrations where a compact setup is desirable.

The second sense is historical and refers to a person who performs hand pollination or pistillate fertilization in botany, i.e., someone who transfers pollen to the pistil of a flower. This agent noun usage is rare today and appears mainly in older horticultural texts. In modern botany and agriculture, more general terms such as pollinator or hand-pollinator are preferred.

Etymology for the two senses diverges: the distillation sense derives from the general term distiller, altered to reflect its smaller scale, while the botany sense traces to pistil, the female reproductive part of a flower, with the agent-noun suffix -er.

Usage and examples: in contemporary guides for DIY essential oils, pistiller may denote a compact distillation tool; in historical notes on garden labor, pistiller appears as an archaic reference to a person performing hand pollination.

See also: distillation, essential oil, perfumery, pollination, pistil.