troche

Word family

• trochiscus
  nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Troche, lozenge, cough drop, and pastille all refer to small, medicated preparations dissolved in the mouth, but they differ in register and context. Troche is the most technical pharmaceutical term, used mainly on product labels and in medical settings. Lozenge is the general-purpose term, covering everything from medicated throat products to vitamin supplements. Cough drop is the informal everyday word — what a parent might ask a child to pick up at the corner store. Pastille is somewhat less common and often describes round, sugar-based medicated tablets, particularly in British English. For instance, a pharmacist might write 'troche' on a prescription, but a customer would ask the cashier where the cough drops are kept.

Common collocations

Etymology

Troche comes from Late Latin trochiscus ('a small round lozenge'), which in turn comes from Greek trokhiskos ('a little wheel'), a diminutive of trokhos ('wheel'). The name refers to the small, round shape of the original medicine tablets.