penicillin
[pen-uh-sil-in]
- any of several antibiotics of low toxicity, produced naturally by molds of the genus Penicillium and also semisynthetically, having a bactericidal action on many susceptible Gram-positive or Gram-negative cocci and bacilli, some also being effective against certain spirochetes.
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Origin of penicillin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for penicillin
Contemporary Examples
He liked to quote a psychiatrist who described MDMA as “penicillin for the soul.”
The teenage schoolgirl died from an allergic reaction to penicillin last June during the botched operation.
The pursuit of animal enhancement arose from studies made at the dawn of the penicillin era.
Unfortunately, Penicillin Envy can make it difficult to achieve those lesser innovations.
It strikes me that medical research is haunted by the memory of penicillin, and the other antibiotics that immediately followed.
Historical Examples
It had words for electron, penicillin and calculus, for he found them in his own mind.
The Sky Is FallingLester del Rey
Bags of fertilizer can be put on display, as can vials of penicillin, and jars of herbicide.
And in no time, penicillin was in mass production, saving untold thousands of lives.
Bear TrapAlan Edward Nourse
The effect of penicillin and certain sulfa drugs on the intracellular bacteroids of the cockroach.
The Biotic Associations of CockroachesLouis M. Roth
So far, he'd been lucky with penicillin, but each time he used it with grave doubts of its action on the Mars-adapted patients.
Badge of InfamyLester del Rey
penicillin
- any of a group of antibiotics with powerful bactericidal action, used to treat many types of infections, including pneumonia, gonorrhoea, and infections caused by streptococci and staphylococci: originally obtained from the fungus Penicillium, esp P. notatum. Formula: R-C 9 H 11 N 2 O 4 S where R is one of several side chains
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Word Origin
C20: from penicillium
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
Word Origin and History for penicillin
n.
1929, coined in English by Alexander Fleming (1881-1955), who first recognized its antibiotic properties, from Modern Latin Penicillium notatum (1867), the name of the mould from which it was first obtained, from Latin penicillus "paintbrush" (see pencil (n.)), in reference to the shape of the mould cells.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
penicillin
(pĕn′ĭ-sĭl′ĭn)- Any of a group of broad-spectrum antibiotic drugs obtained from penicillium molds or produced synthetically, most active against gram-positive bacteria and used in the treatment of various infections and diseases.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
penicillin
[pĕn′ĭ-sĭl′ĭn]
- An antibiotic drug obtained from molds of the genus Penicillium and used to treat or prevent various infections caused by gram-positive bacteria such as streptococcus. Penicillin was the first of a class of antibiotics (whose names end in -icillin) that are derived from it and are active against a broader spectrum of bacteria. See Note at Alexander Fleming.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
penicillin
An antibiotic that is used to treat infections caused by some kinds of bacteria. Penicillin, which is derived from a common kind of mold that grows on bread and fruit, was the first antibiotic discovered and put into widespread use.
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Note
Penicillin was first widely used during World War II.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.