What does troche mean?
A troche is primarily a small medicinal tablet or lozenge designed to be dissolved or sucked in the mouth, commonly used to soothe coughs or treat irritation of the throat. The word also has a specialized poetic meaning: a metrical foot made up of one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable. This metrical pattern is often called a trochee, which can cause occasional confusion when the words are spelled or pronounced quickly. Medicated troches are valued for delivering medicine gradually and are available in various flavors, although their use should follow medical or pharmaceutical guidance. The vocabulary sense is useful when reading descriptions of cough remedies and other throat preparations, while the metrical sense helps readers understand the rhythm of verse. The word has an unusually vivid history: it ultimately comes from Greek for “wheel,” an image associated with the traditional round shape of these small preparations.
nounA small medicated tablet or lozenge intended to be dissolved or sucked in the mouth. In prosody, a troche is a metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.
- A small medicated tablet or lozenge intended to be dissolved or sucked in the mouth.
- A metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.
"The doctor recommended a soothing troche for her sore throat."
"She placed a cherry-flavoured cough troche under her tongue and waited for the medicine to soothe her throat."
"The line scans as a troche because the first syllable is stressed and the second is unstressed."
The standard plural is troches, used for individual tablets or lozenges.
"The pharmacist recommended several soothing troches for the day."
From the Greek word for “wheel,” a troche was named for its small, round shape.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of troche
The word entered English through French troche, from Latin trochiscus, a diminutive of Greek trochos, meaning “wheel.” The “wheel” association originally referred to the small, round shape of medicinal pills or lozenges. Related English words include trochee, a metrical foot, and trochoid and trochlea, which ultimately derive from the same Greek word for a wheel.
Related word forms
How troche is actually used
The medicinal sense is specialized but widely understood, especially in pharmacy and medical contexts. The metrical sense is technical and occurs chiefly in discussions of poetry and prosody; British and American usage is otherwise broadly similar.
Easily confused with troche
A troche can mean a medicinal lozenge, whereas a trochee is a two-syllable metrical foot with the stress on its first syllable.