penicillin

[ pen-uh-sil-in ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. any of several antibiotics of low toxicity, produced naturally by molds of the genus Penicillium and also semisynthetically, having a bactericidal action on many susceptible Gram-positive or Gram-negative cocci and bacilli, some also being effective against certain spirochetes.

penicillin

/ ˌpɛnɪˈsɪlɪn /

noun

1. any of a group of antibiotics with powerful bactericidal action, used to treat many types of infections, including pneumonia, gonorrhoea, and infections caused by streptococci and staphylococci: originally obtained from the fungus Penicillium, esp P. notatum. Formula: R-C 9 H 11 N 2 O 4 S where R is one of several side chains

penicillin

/ pĕn′ĭ-sĭl′ĭn /

1. An antibiotic drug obtained from molds of the genus Penicillium and used to treat or prevent various infections caused by gram-positive bacteria such as streptococcus . Penicillin was the first of a class of antibiotics (whose names end in –icillin ) that are derived from it and are active against a broader spectrum of bacteria.
2. See Note at Alexander Fleming

penicillin

1. An antibiotic that is used to treat infections caused by some kinds of bacteria . Penicillin, which is derived from a common kind of mold that grows on bread and fruit, was the first antibiotic discovered and put into widespread use.

Notes

Penicillin was first widely used during World War II .

Word History and Origins

Origin of penicillin¹

First recorded in 1925–30; penicill(ium) + -in ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of penicillin¹

C20: from penicillium

Example Sentences

When Alexander Fleming first discovered penicillin in 1928, which led to the creation of the first antibiotic that became widely used in the 1940s and after, humans got an evolutionary advantage over bacteria.

From Nautilus

The mold was producing the raw version of penicillin, which after a decade of further research was turned into the first modern antibiotic.

From MIT Technology Review

The new medicines, notably penicillin, eradicated pathogens and bacterial infections far more quickly than sour milk products, which replenished the body’s acidophilus bacteria, helping balance the microbes in the gut.

From Nautilus

He plays Harry Lime, a man who, spoiler alert, sells fake penicillin in postwar Austria.

From Ozy

He said he’d had earlier reactions to penicillin, the paper reported.

From Fortune

He liked to quote a psychiatrist who described MDMA as “penicillin for the soul.”

From The Daily Beast

The teenage schoolgirl died from an allergic reaction to penicillin last June during the botched operation.

From The Daily Beast

The pursuit of animal enhancement arose from studies made at the dawn of the penicillin era.

From The Daily Beast

Unfortunately, Penicillin Envy can make it difficult to achieve those lesser innovations.

From The Daily Beast

It strikes me that medical research is haunted by the memory of penicillin, and the other antibiotics that immediately followed.

From The Daily Beast

And in no time, penicillin was in mass production, saving untold thousands of lives.

From Project Gutenberg

So far, he'd been lucky with penicillin, but each time he used it with grave doubts of its action on the Mars-adapted patients.

From Project Gutenberg

Bags of fertilizer can be put on display, as can vials of penicillin, and jars of herbicide.

From Project Gutenberg

The effect of penicillin and certain sulfa drugs on the intracellular bacteroids of the cockroach.

From Project Gutenberg

No one would call a doctor who uniformly administers penicillin – a good doctor and, yet, this, exactly is what the IMF is doing.

From Project Gutenberg