Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Boil \Boil\, v. t.
   1. To heat to the boiling point, or so as to cause
      ebullition; as, to boil water.

   2. To form, or separate, by boiling or evaporation; as, to
      boil sugar or salt.

   3. To subject to the action of heat in a boiling liquid so as
      to produce some specific effect, as cooking, cleansing,
      etc.; as, to boil meat; to boil clothes.

            The stomach cook is for the hall, And boileth meate
            for them all.                         --Gower.

   4. To steep or soak in warm water. [Obs.]

            To try whether seeds be old or new, the sense can
            not inform; but if you boil them in water, the new
            seeds will sprout sooner.             --Bacon.

   {To boil down}, to reduce in bulk by boiling; as, to boil
      down sap or sirup.