What does "pastille" mean?
An often round and somewhat flat flavoured candy or sweet.
Pastille
/ˈpæst(ɪ)l/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An often round and somewhat flat flavoured candy or sweet.
- Grammar: pastille is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: candy, confection, cough drop, incense.
- Usage evidence: A crayon isn't a pastille; don't eat it!
How to use "pastille"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pastille" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pastille" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pastille" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pastille" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pastille" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "candy" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pastille", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An often round and somewhat flat flavoured candy or sweet.
- 2 Nonstandard spelling of pastel (“a crayon made from a type of dried paste; a drawing made using such crayons”). alt-of, nonstandard, obsolete
"Best specimen of fancy painting, pastille, Emily C. Dills, Fort Wayne, Indiana."
- 3 a medicated lozenge used to soothe the throat wordnet
- 4 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."
- 5 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. historical, specifically
"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."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A medicinal pill, originally made of compressed herbs. historical
"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."
- 7 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.
Verb
- 1 To make into a pastille. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"A crayon isn't a pastille; don't eat it!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pastille"?
Common synonyms include: candy, confection, cough drop, incense, lozenge, lozenges.
How do you use "pastille" in a sentence?
A crayon isn't a pastille; don't eat it!
How do you pronounce "pastille"?
Pronounced /ˈpæst(ɪ)l/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
See pastel.