Definition of Pill

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Pill: In pharmacy, a medicinal substance in a small round or oval mass meant to be swallowed. Pills often contain a filler and a plastic substance such as lactose that permits the pill to be rolled by hand or machine into the desired form. The pill may then be coated with a varnishlike substance.

The word pill is a shortened version of the French pilule, a pill. Originally from the Latin pila, a ball.