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Medical Dictionary

suppository

Pronunciation (sŭ-poz′i-tō′rē)
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  1. A small solid preparation shaped for ready introduction into one of the orifices of the body other than the oral cavity (e.g., rectum, urethra, vagina), made of a substance, usually medicated, which is solid at room temperatures but melts at body temperature. Suppository bases usually used are theobroma oil, glycerinated gelatin, hydrogenated vegetable oils, mixtures of polyethylene glycols of various molecular weights, and fatty acid esters of polyethylene glycol.

[L. suppositorium, fr. suppositorius, placed underneath]

WebMD Medical Reference from "Stedman's Medical Dictionary"

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