the pill

T t

Definitions of the pill words

noun the pill a small globular or rounded mass of medicinal substance, usually covered with a hard coating, that is to be swallowed whole. 1
noun the pill something unpleasant that has to be accepted or endured: Ingratitude is a bitter pill. 1
noun the pill Slang. a tiresomely disagreeable person. 1
noun the pill Sports Slang. a ball, especially a baseball or golf ball. 1
noun the pill the pill, birth-control pill. 1
noun the pill pills, British Slang. billiards. 1

before 1375

One of the 22% oldest English words

1375-1425; late Middle English pille < Middle Low German, Middle Dutch pille ≪ Latin pilula, diminutive of pila ball; see -ule

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 96% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

abortion pill — a drug, such as mifepristone, used to terminate a pregnancy in its earliest stage
birth control pill — an oral contraceptive for women, containing the hormones estrogen and progesterone or progesterone alone, that inhibits ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of a fertilized ovum, causing temporary infertility.
brompton cocktail — an analgesic mixture, usually containing morphine and cocaine and sometimes other narcotic substances in an alcohol solution, administered primarily to advanced cancer patients.
brompton mixture — a mixture of narcotics, tranquilizers, and alcohol, used to kill pain for terminally ill patients
mifepristone — an antigestational drug, C 29 H 35 NO 2 , that prevents a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterine wall by blocking the action of progesterone.