bacitracin

[ bas-i-trey-sin ]

/ ˌbæs ɪˈtreɪ sɪn /

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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.

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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 + -in²

Words nearby bacitracin

bacillus, bacillus Calmette-Guérin, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus sphaericus, Bacillus thuringiensis, bacitracin, back, backache, back against the wall, back-alley, back anchor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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

Medical definitions for bacitracin

bacitracin

[ băs′ĭ-trā′sĭn ]

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.