pastille
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pastille¹
- /ˈpæst(ɪ)l/ UK
- /pæsˈtil/ US
Rhymes with -ɪl (GA pronunciation)
Where it comes from
Partly from the following:
* From Late Middle English pastil, pastill (“crushed leek leaves; vegetable pulp”), borrowed from Old French pastel, probably from Latin pastillus, pastillum (“small bread roll; lozenge to freshen breath; medicated lozenge”), possibly from pāstus (“fed, nourished; consumed; having eaten; of an animal: driven to pasture, pastured; having browsed or grazed”) + -illus (diminutive suffix). Pāstus is the perfect passive participle of pāscō (“to feed, nourish; to maintain, support; of an animal: to drive to pasture, pasture; to browse, graze”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to protect; to shepherd”).
* Borrowed from French pastille (“candy or medicinal lozenge; small fragrant pellet burnt to perfume the air; pellet, pill”), and from its etymon Spanish pastilla (“candy or medicinal lozenge; small fragrant pellet burnt to perfume the air”), from Latin pastillus, pastillum; see above.
Doublet of pastegh, pastel, pastiglia, pastila, and pastilla.
noun pastilles · pastil
- A flavoured candy or sweet, often round and somewhat flat in shape.
- Any small, usually round and somewhat flat, granular piece of material; a tablet. Watercolors of professional quality come in small pastilles of dry pigment, in pans of semi-moist paint, or in tubes or bottles of liquid watercolor.
- A small pellet containing aromatic substances, burned to diffuse a fragrance or to disinfect or fumigate. At the end he felt faint and sick, and having lit some Algerian pastilles in a pierced copper brazier, he bathed his hands and forehead with a cool musk-scented vinegar.
- A medicinal pill, originally made of compressed herbs. In the desperate search for amatory satisfactions, the most monstrous ingredients have throughout the ages, been sought and compounded into electuaries and pastilles, philtres and ointments.
-
A candy- or sweet-like lozenge, which, when sucked, releases substances that soothe a sore throat, and sometimes vapours to help unblock the nose or sinuses.
Similar: cough drop, troche
verb pastilles · pastilling · pastilled
- To make into a pastille.
pastille²
- /ˈpæstl̩/ UK
- /pæsˈtɛl/ US
Rhymes with -æstəl, -ɛl
Where it comes from
See pastel.
noun pastilles
- Nonstandard spelling of pastel (“a crayon made from a type of dried paste; a drawing made using such crayons”). Best specimen of fancy painting, pastille, Emily C. Dills, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Translations
Every language
verb flavoured candy or sweet
| Español | gomita, pastilla |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | トローチ |
| Français | pastille |
| Deutsch | Pastila, Pastille |
| Italiano | pastiglia |
| Ελληνικά | παστίλια pastília |
| Română | pastilă |
| Русский | монпансье́ monpansʹjé, ледене́ц ledenéc |
| العربية | قرص طبي محلى |
verb small, usually round and somewhat flat, granular piece of material — see also tablet
| Español | pastilla |
|---|---|
| Português | pastilha |
| Français | pastille |
| Ελληνικά | παστίλια pastília |
Talk about this word "pastille." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pastille. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pastille. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pastille "pastille." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pastille.Cite this
@misc{pastille_2026,
title = {pastille},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pastille},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
