bacitracin

American

[bas-i-trey-sin] / ˌbæs ɪˈtreɪ sɪn /

noun

Pharmacology.

an antibiotic polypeptide derived by the hydrolytic action of Bacillus subtilis on protein, primarily used topically in the treatment of superficial infections caused by susceptible Gram-positive organisms.

bacitracin British

/ ˌbæsɪˈtreɪsɪn /

noun

an antibiotic used mainly in treating bacterial skin infections: obtained from the bacterium Bacillus subtilis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bacitracin

1940–45; baci(llus) + Trac(ey), misspelled surname of Margaret Treacy (1936–94), American child whose tissues were found to contain Bacillus subtilis + -in ²

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023