Suppletoires

Suppletoires is a term with limited use in standard English, and it is not listed as a widely recognized concept in major reference works. In practice, it most often appears as a misspelling or a transliteration variant of related terms, depending on the field.

In medical contexts, the intended term is usually suppositories, a dosage form inserted into the rectum or vagina to deliver medication. The French equivalent is suppositoires; readers encountering "suppletoires" in English medical texts are typically dealing with a spelling error or OCR misread.

In linguistics, the related term suppletion describes irregular inflection where a word forms with a root from a different paradigm. An adjective form is suppletory, and a plural noun form such as suppletories would be atypical, with suppletive or suppletion as standard terms.

In other languages or historical usages, suppletoire may appear as a transliteration or variant, but such usage is not standard in English-language scholarship. The etymology of the root traces to Latin supplet-, from suppletus meaning supplied or substituted; in French, the analogous form suppositoire comes from the Latin suppositorius and is the origin of the English suppository.

Usage notes: When encountering "suppletoires," consult the source for the intended meaning. If the reference is medical, expect suppositories. If the topic is linguistics, the correct term is suppletion or suppletive.