Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Language: Latin
Origin: pilula, from pila 'ball'

pill

1 noun
     
pill
Related topics: Hospital
pill1 S3
1 [countable]MH a small solid piece of medicine that you swallow whole:
He has to take pills to control his blood pressure.
a bottle of vitamin pills
2

the Pill/the pill

MI a pill taken regularly by some women in order to prevent them having babies
on the Pill
My doctor advised me to go on the pill (=start taking it regularly).
3

sugar/sweeten the pill

to do something to make an unpleasant job or situation less unpleasant for the person who has to accept it
4

be a pill

American English informal if someone, especially a child, is a pill, they are annoying:
Luke can be a real pill sometimes.

➔ a bitter pill (to swallow)

at bitter1 (7), morning-after pill
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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