capsule
n. countablen. a small, smooth container that holds medicine and is easy to swallow. It can also mean a very small, closed space or container, like the part of a spacecraft where people live.
n. a small, soluble case or container, typically made of gelatin, enclosing a dose of medicine. Also refers to a compact, self-contained compartment or vessel, such as the pressurized section of a spacecraft or a botanical seed case.
I find it easier to swallow a capsule than a large tablet.
The doctor prescribed the antibiotic in capsule form to ensure the medicine reached the stomach before dissolving.
After months of preparation, the astronauts finally climbed into the small capsule that would serve as their only home during the long journey back to Earth's atmosphere.
Borrowed from French capsule, from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa (“box”).
Often used in medical contexts to distinguish from tablets or pills; also used metaphorically to describe anything extremely compact or condensed.