Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

oxytetracycline

American  
[ok-si-te-truh-sahy-klin, -kleen] / ˌɒk sɪˌtɛ trəˈsaɪ klɪn, -klin /

noun

Pharmacology.

  1. a dull-yellow, crystalline antibiotic powder, C 2 2 H 2 4 N 2 O 9 , produced by Streptomyces rimosus, used chiefly in treating infections caused by streptococci, staphylococci, Gram-negative bacilli, rickettsiae, and certain protozoans and viruses.

oxytetracycline British  
/ ˌɒksɪˌtɛtrəˈsaɪklɪn /

noun

  1.  OTC.  a broad-spectrum antibiotic, obtained from the bacterium Streptomyces rimosus, used in treating various infections. Formula: C 22 H 24 N 2 O 9

"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

Etymology

Origin of oxytetracycline

First recorded in 1950–55; oxy- 2 + tetracycline

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.

And there was: There had been some progress, with oxytetracycline, OTC for short, a powerful antibiotic that is used to treat chlamydia and sometimes syphilis in humans.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

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.