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cephalosporin

[ sef-uh-loh-spawr-in, -spohr- ]
/ ˌsɛf ə loʊˈspɔr ɪn, -ˈspoʊr- /

noun Pharmacology.

any of a group of widely used broad-spectrum antibiotics, originally isolated as a product of fermentation from the fungus Cephalosporium acremonium.

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Origin of cephalosporin

1950–55; <New Latin Cephalospor(ium) the genus (see cephalo-, -spore, -ium) + -in2

Words nearby cephalosporin

cephalon, Cephalonia, cephalopathy, cephalopelvic, cephalopod, cephalosporin, cephalosporinase, cephalostat, cephalothoracic, cephalothorax, cephalous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for cephalosporin

cephalosporin
/ (ˌsɛfələʊˈspɔːrɪn) /

noun

any of a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics obtained from fungi of the genus Cephalosporium
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 cephalosporin

cephalosporin
[ sĕf-ə-lə-spôr′ĭn ]

n.

Any of various broad-spectrum antibiotics, closely related to the penicillins, that were originally derived from the fungus Cephalosporium acremonium and are used to treat bacterial infections.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.