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ampicillin

American  
[am-puh-sil-in] / ˌæm pəˈsɪl ɪn /

noun

Pharmacology.

  1. a broad-spectrum semisynthetic penicillin, C 16 H 19 N 3 O 4 S, effective against certain susceptible Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

ampicillin British  
/ ˌæmpɪˈsɪlɪn /

noun

  1. a semisynthetic penicillin used to treat various infections

"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
ampicillin Scientific  
/ ăm′pĭ-sĭl′ĭn /

  1. An antibiotic derived from penicillin that has a broad antibacterial spectrum of action. It is effective against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and is used primarily to treat gonorrhea and infections of the respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts.

Etymology

Origin of ampicillin

First recorded in 1965–70; probably am(inobenzyl)p(en)icillin, an alternate chemical name

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In some samples, up to 20% of the E. coli were resistant to the frontline antibiotic drug ampicillin.

From Salon • Jul. 19, 2023

Plates that have only ampicillin resistant bacteria include which of the following?

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Other drugs that the pathogen has overcome in the past include ampicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline.

From Scientific American • May 18, 2015

That’s bad news because most Shigella in the U.S. is already resistant to the antibiotics ampicillin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.

From MSNBC • Apr. 7, 2015

The list includes drugs like penicillin and ampicillin, which are also prescribed for people.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2011

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.