Definition of PASTILLE

pastille

Plural: pastilles

Noun

  • A small, flavored medicinal lozenge or scented block.
  • a medicated lozenge used to soothe the throat
  • An often round and somewhat flat flavoured candy or sweet.
  • Any small, usually round and somewhat flat, granular piece of material; a tablet.
  • Any small, usually round and somewhat flat, granular piece of material; a tablet.
  • A small pellet containing aromatic substances, burned to diffuse a fragrance or to disinfect or fumigate.
  • A medicinal pill, originally made of compressed herbs.
  • 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.
  • Nonstandard spelling of pastel (“crayon made from a type of dried paste; drawing made using such crayons”).

Examples

  • Playing PASTILLE felt like a sweet treat, earning him unexpected points on a tight Scrabble board.

Origin / Etymology

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.

Synonyms

cough drop, pastil, troche

Scrabble Score: 10

pastille: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
pastille: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
pastille: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

pastille: valid Words With Friends Word