multicomponent distillation: Definition from Answers.com. Cracking definition, (in the distillation of petroleum or the like) the process of breaking down. heat, distillation under pressure, etc., in order to give a greater yield of low-boiling products than. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary. multicomponent distillation. Top. Home > Library > Science > Sci-Tech Dictionary . (¦məl·tē·kəm¦pō·nənt ′dist·əl′ā·shən). (chemical engineering) The distillation.