suppository /səpoz″ətôr′ē/ [L, sub, under, ponere, to place] , an easily melted medicated mass for insertion into the rectum, urethra, or vagina. Theobroma oil, glycerinated gelatin, and high-molecular-weight polyethylene glycols are common vehicles for drugs in suppositories that are cone- or spindle-shaped for insertion into the rectum, globular or egg-shaped for use in the vagina, and pencil-shaped for insertion into the urethra. Drugs administered by rectal suppository are absorbed systemically, and this route is especially useful in babies, in patients unable to take oral medications, and in cases of vomiting or certain digestive disorders.
