pilule

She places the small white pilule on her tongue before taking a sip of water.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small pill or tablet: "pilule" refers to a small, round medicinal tablet or pill, often used for oral administration. It is a diminutive form of "pill," typically denoting a tiny, spherical dose of medication.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor prescribed a daily pilule to regulate her blood pressure. (A small tablet taken orally for health management.)
  • He swallowed the bitter pilule with a glass of water. (A tiny medicinal pill consumed for treatment.)

Advanced Usage

• "to take a pilule": to ingest a small medicinal tablet.

  • She takes one pilule every morning to prevent headaches. (She consumes a small pill daily for prophylaxis.)

• "a bitter pilule to swallow": a figurative expression meaning an unpleasant fact or situation that must be accepted.

  • The news of the layoffs was a bitter pilule to swallow for the employees. (An unwelcome truth that had to be endured.)

Variants and Related Words

• Pillule (n): an alternative spelling of "pilule," also meaning a small pill.

  • The pharmacist dispensed a box of pillules for the patient. (Small tablets provided for medical use.)

• Pill (n): a broader term for a small, round solid dose of medicine; "pilule" is a diminutive form.

  • She takes a vitamin pill each day. (A standard-sized tablet.)

Synonyms

• Tablet: a small, solid dose of medicine, often larger than a pilule.
• Capsule: a gelatinous container for medicine, sometimes synonymous with a small pill.

Related Idioms

• Sugar the pilule: to make an unpleasant fact or situation more palatable.
  • The manager sugared the pilule of the salary cut by offering extra vacation days. (He softened the bad news with a small benefit.)