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suppository

American  
[suh-poz-i-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / səˈpɒz ɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

noun

  • suppositories
    plural
  1. a solid, conical mass of medicinal substance that melts upon insertion into the rectum or vagina.


suppository British  
/ -trɪ, səˈpɒzɪtərɪ /

noun

  1. med an encapsulated or solid medication for insertion into the vagina, rectum, or urethra, where it melts and releases the active substance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of suppository

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin suppositōrium, equivalent to supposi-, variant stem of suppōnere ( see suppose) + -tōrium -tory 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

By Wednesday evening, only three boxes of generic ibuprofen chewables, two boxes of generic acetaminophen chewables and six boxes of suppository acetaminophen remained.

From Washington Post Dec. 1, 2022

If you do, you'll be given an antifungal prescription like fluconazole, or told to purchase an over-the-counter cream or ointment, or a suppository that's inserted into the vagina.

From US News Dec. 22, 2015

He said: "No one, however smart, however well-educated, however experienced, is the suppository of all wisdom."

From BBC Sep. 5, 2013

And so I pushed myself, learned to eat and dress and steady a suppository in spastic fingers, to sit and stand and walk.

From Slate May 1, 2013

Tea brewed from the leaves, or the sap taken orally, or a silphion suppository, was said to prevent conception and/or induce abortion.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Perhaps the alarm bells should have started ringing when he began prescribing shampoo to treat a cold, creosote for toothache or suggested patients swallow their suppositories.

From BBC Feb. 23, 2025

Humans have been controlling their reproduction for all of recorded history, from ancient Egyptian vaginal suppositories made of animal dung to spermicidal ointments made with cedar and olive oil employed by 4th Century Greeks.

From Salon Dec. 27, 2023

For example, in Aëtius of Amida’s sixth-century medical treatise, the author details the use of contraceptive vaginal suppositories, elaborating on the improvements to the recipe from Soranus’s time.

From Scientific American Dec. 11, 2020

Kinder ™ egg suppositories are already responsible for a greater flow of goods annually than the government’s botched Brexit ferry scheme.

From The Guardian Aug. 18, 2019

The bowels are to be moved daily by glycerin suppositories or injection of warm water.

From The Home Medical Library, Volume II (of VI) by Kenelm Winslow

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