English Reference
noun · verb

tablet

n. · v.
US /ˈtæbɫət/ UK /tˈæblət/ tablet UK spelling tablet's, tablet's, tableted, tabletted

  1. 01 A2 Elementary Medicine

    n.a small, solid piece of medicine that you swallow.

    n.a small, solid dose of a drug or medication, typically circular or ovoid in shape.

    Simple

    The doctor told him to take one tablet with water every morning.

    In context

    The pharmacist explained that the tablet should be swallowed whole rather than crushed to ensure the slow release of the active ingredient.

  2. 02 A2 Elementary Computing

    n.a thin, portable computer that you control by touching the screen.

    n.a mobile computer with a touchscreen interface, typically larger than a smartphone but smaller than a laptop.

    Simple

    She uses her tablet to read books and watch movies on the plane.

    In context

    The school provided each student with a tablet to facilitate digital note-taking and access to interactive textbooks during the semester.

    ipadhandheld
  3. 03 B1 Intermediate

    n.a flat piece of stone or clay used in the past for writing.

    n.a flat slab of stone, clay, or wood, especially one bearing an inscription or used for writing in antiquity.

    Simple

    The museum has an ancient stone tablet with laws written on it.

    In context

    Archaeologists discovered a clay tablet inscribed with cuneiform script, providing new insights into the trade agreements of the ancient city-state.

  4. 04 B2 Upper Intermediate American English

    n.a collection of sheets of paper joined together at the top.

    n.a number of sheets of writing paper fastened together at one edge.

    Simple

    He grabbed a tablet of paper to write down the shopping list.

    In context

    She kept a tablet of lined paper on her nightstand to record her thoughts immediately upon waking.

  5. 05 C1 Advanced British EnglishDialect Cooking

    n.a hard, sweet snack made from sugar, butter, and condensed milk.

    n.a traditional Scottish confection with a grainy texture, primarily composed of sugar, butter, and condensed milk.

    Simple

    My grandmother always makes homemade tablet for us at Christmas.

    In context

    While similar to fudge, Scottish tablet is boiled to a higher temperature, resulting in a characteristically brittle and grainy consistency.

  6. 06 C2 Proficiency FormalTechnical Technical

    v.to press a powder or medicine into the shape of a small pill.

    v.to process a substance, typically a pharmaceutical, into the form of tablets.

    Simple

    The machine can tablet thousands of doses of medicine every hour.

    In context

    The raw chemical compound is granulated and dried before it is sent to the high-speed press to be tableted for commercial distribution.


From Middle English tablet, from Old French tablete (Modern French tablette), diminutive of table (“table”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Old French tablete
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Common
Updated