pill en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pil-? Latin pilus? Latin pila Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ula Latin pilula, pillulabor. Middle Low German pilleder. Middle Dutch pilleder. Middle English pille English pill From Middle English pille (also pillem), a borrowing from Middle Low German pille or Middle Dutch pille (whence Dutch pil), probably from Latin pila, pilula. * (persuade or convince): Generalized from red pill.
Meanings
-
(broadly) A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
Take two pills every hour in the apyrexia of intermittent fever, until eight are taken.
1864, Benjamin Ellis, The Medical Formulary:
- (broadly, qualifier:strictly) A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication. ▸ Such an object that is of solid constitution (usually of compressed, bonded powder) rather than a capsule (with a shell containing loose powder or liquid).
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(definite, informal, qualifier:i.e. used with "the", uncountable) Contraceptive medication, usually in the form of a pill to be taken by a woman; an oral contraceptive pill.
Jane went on the pill when she left for college.
I'm tearing down your brooder house / 'Cause now I've got the pill
1975, “The Pill”, in Back to the Country, performed by Loretta Lynn:Many specialists are requesting that this vitamin be included in all contraceptive pills, as women on the pill have a tendency to be depressed.
1986, Jurriaan Plesman, Getting Off the Hook: Treatment of Drug Addiction and Social Disorders Through Body and Mind:She got pregnant one month after going off the pill.
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Something offensive, unpleasant or nauseous which must be accepted or endured.
"It's a sad unpalatable truth," said Mr. Pembroke, thinking that the despondency might be personal, "but one must accept it. My sister and Gerald, I am thankful to say, have accepted it, so naturally it has been a little pill."
1907, E.M. Forster, The Longest Journey, Part I, III [Uniform ed., p. 45]
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(slang) A contemptible, annoying, or unpleasant person.
You see, he's egging Phyllis on to marry Wilbert Cream. [...] And when a man like that eggs, something has to give, especially when the girl's a pill like Phyllis, who always does what Daddy tells her.
1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IV:Christopher: Mom! How long is your friend going to be sleeping in my train room? There's a 10 a.m. to Santa Fe! Luisa: It's a guest room, Christopher! And don't be rude! [To Elsa:] Ignore him, he's a pill.
2018, Robia Rashid, “Penguin Cam and Chill” (0:00 from the start), in Ryan Case, director, Atypical, season 2, episode 2, spoken by Christopher and Luisa (Anthony Jacques and Nina Ameri), via Netflix:Instead, I saw a woman in her mid-fifties, who was a real pill; while all the others had managed a decent “So pleased,” or even a plain “Hello,” Ginger just inclined her head, as if she was doing a Queen Mary imitation.
2000, Susan Isaacs, Shining Through:
- (slang) A comical or entertaining person.
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A small piece of any substance, for example a ball of fibers formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing.
One sleeve, threadbare and loaded with what my mother called “sweater pills,” hung halfway to the floor.
1999, Wally Lamb, I Know This Much Is True:
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(slang) A baseball.
Mr. Fisher contributed to the Sox effort when he threw the pill past second baseman Rath after Felsch hit him a comebacker.
2002, John Klima, Pitched Battle: 35 of Baseball's Greatest Duels from the Mound:"Strike two!" bawled the umpire. I threw the pill back to Tom with a heart which drummed above the noise of the rooters along the side lines.
1931, Canadian National Magazine, page 17:
- (slang) A bullet (projectile).
- A rounded rectangle containing a brief text caption indicating the tag or category that an item belongs to.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| p1ll | alternative | lexicographic | |
| pills | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
take a pill · difficult pill to swallow · pill rolling · depill · prepill · pill driver · pill bug · boner pill · pill bottle · pillworm · blue-pill · pill in the pocket · tough pill to swallow · purple pill · pep pill · sleeping pill · water pill · swallow a bitter pill · birth pill · silly pill · sugar pill · bread pill · pillhead · no-go pill · pill tile · sweeten the pill · pill-popper · pill pusher · pillmaking · radiopill · pill millipede · pillmaker · power pill · horse pill · Ward's pill · forget to take one's pills this morning · pill to swallow · pill mill · pop pills · take the red pill · chicken pill · minipill · antipill · on the pill · black pill · hard pill to swallow · happy pill · pill beetle · pill popper · smart pill · pill gun · little blue pill · pillwort · pill press · sugarcoat a bitter pill · pill reminder · pill board · nanopill · radio pill · dinner pill · superpill · dogpill · love pill · pillbox · pill pocket · black-pill · go pill · orange pill · sugar the pill · polypill · blue pill · gild the pill · sugarcoat the pill · bitter pill · morning-after pill · food pill · pill-box · chill pill · party pill · hard pill · bitter pill to swallow · Matthew's pill · pill up · pillbug · perpetual pill · abortion pill · white pill · pilly · postpill · red pill · poison pill · depiller · peace pill · peaceful pill · pinkpill · pillmonger
Synonyms
tablet (small object for swallowing) · fuzzball · cap (bullet) · bobble · crawbeen · lint ball
Translations (216)
it fuffa (ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing) · my ဆေးလုံး (small object for swallowing) · yue 藥餅 /药饼 (small object for swallowing) · es tableta (small object for swallowing) · pl pigułka (small object for swallowing) · nan-hbl 藥丸 /药丸 (small object for swallowing) · nah motolotlanoquiloni (small object for swallowing) · ar حَبَّة دَوَاء (small object for swallowing) · txb ṣpakīye (small object for swallowing) · sv piller (small object for swallowing) · prs گُولِی (small object for swallowing) · kk дәрі (small object for swallowing) · ps ګولۍ (small object for swallowing) · km ថ្នាំលេប (small object for swallowing) · it pasticca (small object for swallowing) · mn ᠡᠮᠡ (small object for swallowing) · ar حَبّ (small object for swallowing) · mn үрэл (small object for swallowing) · yue 藥丸 /药丸 (small object for swallowing) · ta மாத்திரை (small object for swallowing) · lo ຢາກ້ອນ (small object for swallowing) · lt tabletė (small object for swallowing) · pl pigułka (contraceptive pill) · pt pílula (small object for swallowing) · lo ຢາເມັດ (small object for swallowing) · es frisado (ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing) · th ยาเม็ด (small object for swallowing) · ug تابلىتكا (small object for swallowing) · es comprimido (small object for swallowing) · fa-ira حَب (small object for swallowing) · ko 알약 (small object for swallowing) · lo ລູກກອນ (small object for swallowing) · io pilulo (small object for swallowing) · mi pirepire (small object for swallowing) · fi pilleri (contraceptive pill) · ko 알 (small object for swallowing) · et pill (small object for swallowing) · bg гюле́ (bullet) · te మాత్ర (small object for swallowing) · ky пилюля (small object for swallowing) · be пілю́ля (small object for swallowing) · ru пу́ля (bullet) · fo tablett (small object for swallowing) · fi ehkäisypilleri (contraceptive pill) · hu pilula (small object for swallowing) · ja 丸薬 (small object for swallowing) · fr dragée (bullet) · fo bolli (small object for swallowing) · fr comprimé (small object for swallowing) · cs tableta (small object for swallowing) · km គុលិកា (small object for swallowing) · eo antikoncipa pilolo (contraceptive pill) · ko 환약 (small object for swallowing) · tg қурс (small object for swallowing) · mk табле́та (small object for swallowing) · ko 정제 (small object for swallowing) · uk табле́тка (small object for swallowing) · ro tabletă (small object for swallowing) · nan-hbl 藥餅 /药饼 (small object for swallowing) · kk пилюля (small object for swallowing) · fi hitunen (small piece of any substance) · sk tableta (small object for swallowing) · ru противозача́точная табле́тка (contraceptive pill) · kk таблетка (small object for swallowing) · sl pilula (small object for swallowing) · ca píndola (small object for swallowing) · uk пілю́ля (small object for swallowing) · bn বটিকা (small object for swallowing) · hu tabletta (small object for swallowing) · mi pire (small object for swallowing) · oj bebiikominagak (small object for swallowing) · cs pilulka (small object for swallowing) · hi टैबलेट (small object for swallowing) · dv ގުޅަ (small object for swallowing) · ru пилю́ля (small object for swallowing) · hy դեղահաբ (small object for swallowing) · id tablet (small object for swallowing) · ar قُرْص (small object for swallowing) · lo ເມັດ (small object for swallowing) · bg хап (small object for swallowing) · he כַּדּוּר (small object for swallowing) · ps تابلېت (small object for swallowing) · hy հաբ (small object for swallowing) · mr गोळी (small object for swallowing) · et tablett (small object for swallowing) · el χάπι (small object for swallowing) · scn pìnnula (small object for swallowing) · bg куршу́м (bullet) · ar حَبَّة (small object for swallowing) · ko 피임약 (contraceptive pill) · bg табле́тка (small object for swallowing) · hu pirula (small object for swallowing) · bn পিল (small object for swallowing) · ru табле́тка (small object for swallowing) · da tablet (small object for swallowing) · ro comprimat (small object for swallowing) · de Pille (contraceptive pill) · sv p-piller (contraceptive pill) · tk tabletka (small object for swallowing) · af pil (small object for swallowing) · it pastiglia (small object for swallowing) · ca píndola (contraceptive pill) · lo ກ້ອນ (small object for swallowing) · de Tablette (small object for swallowing) · la pilula (small object for swallowing) · ja 錠剤 (small object for swallowing) · fr balle (bullet) · scn tabblettu (small object for swallowing) · ms pil (small object for swallowing) · yue 藥片 /药片 (small object for swallowing) · pt pílula (contraceptive pill) · gu ગોળી (small object for swallowing) · uk пігу́лка (small object for swallowing) · mk контрацепти́вна пилула (contraceptive pill) · it pillola (small object for swallowing) · fi nukka (ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing) · os таблеткӕ (small object for swallowing) · lv tablete (small object for swallowing) · as টেবলেট (small object for swallowing) · az həb (small object for swallowing) · fi pilleri (small object for swallowing) · ka აბი (small object for swallowing) · yi פּיל (small object for swallowing) · es pastilla (small object for swallowing) · fa-ira قُرْص (small object for swallowing) · nn pille (small object for swallowing) · kmr heb (small object for swallowing) · es píldora (small object for swallowing) · uz hapdori (small object for swallowing) · sw tembe (small object for swallowing) · th เม็ด (small object for swallowing) · crh ap (small object for swallowing) · cmn 藥片 /药片 (small object for swallowing) · as গুলী (small object for swallowing) · eo pilolo (small object for swallowing) · ja 避妊薬 (contraceptive pill) · it compressa (small object for swallowing) · da pille (small object for swallowing) · mn эм (small object for swallowing) · he גְּלוּלָה (small object for swallowing) · sh pìlula (small object for swallowing) · sh пѝлула (small object for swallowing) · nl pil (small object for swallowing) · sh mucica (ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing) · vi viên (small object for swallowing) · af pil (contraceptive pill) · id pil (small object for swallowing) · nan-hbl 藥片 /药片 (small object for swallowing) · is pilla (small object for swallowing) · pl tabletka (small object for swallowing) · txb ṣpel (small object for swallowing) · ka ტაბლეტი (small object for swallowing) · vi viên thuốc (small object for swallowing) · cmn 避孕藥 /避孕药 (contraceptive pill) · fr pilule contraceptive (contraceptive pill) · sh tablèta (small object for swallowing) · cmn 毛球 (ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing) · fr pilule (small object for swallowing) · sl tableta (small object for swallowing) · be табле́тка (small object for swallowing) · hu fogamzásgátló (tabletta) (contraceptive pill) · fo p-bolli (contraceptive pill) · hy դեղահատ (small object for swallowing) · hi गोली (small object for swallowing) · tg ҳаб (small object for swallowing) · pl pastylka (small object for swallowing) · cmn 藥丸 /药丸 (small object for swallowing) · de Fussel (ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing) · ky таблетка (small object for swallowing) · hi गुटिका (small object for swallowing) · as বৰি (small object for swallowing) · pt borboto (ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing) · eo morgaŭa pilolo (contraceptive pill) · tr hap (small object for swallowing) · oj mashkikiins (small object for swallowing) · om kinniinii (small object for swallowing) · ur ٹَیبْلیٹ (small object for swallowing) · pl tabletka antykoncepcyjna (contraceptive pill) · sk pilulka (small object for swallowing) · ru масли́на (bullet) · tr tablet (small object for swallowing) · sh таблѐта (small object for swallowing) · nb pille (small object for swallowing) · ja ピル (small object for swallowing) · uz tabletka (small object for swallowing) · rif reknina (small object for swallowing) · mn ᠦᠷᠢᠯ (small object for swallowing) · pt comprimido (small object for swallowing) · el το χάπι (contraceptive pill) · lv pilula (small object for swallowing) · da pille (contraceptive pill) · mk пилула (small object for swallowing) · ro pilulă (small object for swallowing) · ur گولی (small object for swallowing) · uz dori (small object for swallowing) · bg ха́пче (small object for swallowing) · de Pille (small object for swallowing) · ckb حەب (small object for swallowing) · ms tablet (small object for swallowing) · ru ка́тышек (ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing) · mk апче (small object for swallowing) · sv tablett (small object for swallowing) · ja ピル (contraceptive pill) · sl mucka (ball of fibres formed on the surface of a textile fabric by rubbing) · fi rahtu (small piece of any substance) · el δισκίο (small object for swallowing) · pdt Pell (small object for swallowing) · fi tabletti (small object for swallowing) · tr komprime (small object for swallowing) · sw kidonge (small object for swallowing) · fr pilule (contraceptive pill) · scn pìnnula cuntraccittiva (contraceptive pill) · lt piliulė (small object for swallowing) · es píldora anticonceptiva (contraceptive pill) · sq pilulë (small object for swallowing) · nl pil (contraceptive pill)