bacitracin

[ 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.

Nearby words

bacillus, bacillus calmette-guérin, bacillus cereus, bacillus sphaericus, bacillus thuringiensis, bacitracin, back, back against the wall, back alley, back anchor, back and fill

Origin of bacitracin

1940–45; baci(llus) + (Margaret) Trac(y) (born 1936), American child whose tissues were found to contain Bacillus subtilis + -in²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for bacitracin

bacitracin

/ (ˌbæsɪˈtreɪsɪn) /

noun

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

Word Origin for bacitracin

C20: baci (llus) + -trac- from Margaret Tracy (born 1936), American girl in whose blood Bacillus subtilis was found; see -in

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

Medicine definitions for bacitracin

bacitracin

[ băs′ĭ-trā′sĭn ]

n.

A polypeptide antibiotic obtained from a strain of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis and used as a topical treatment for certain bacterial infections, especially those caused by cocci.