penicillin

[ pen-uh-sil-in ]

/ ˌpɛn əˈsɪl ɪn /

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See synonyms for penicillin on Thesaurus.com

noun Pharmacology.

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

First recorded in 1925–30; penicill(ium) + -in²

Words nearby penicillin

penholder, -penia, penicil, penicillamine, penicillate, penicillin, penicillium, penile, penillion, peninsula, Peninsular State

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use penicillin in a sentence

When Alexander Fleming first discovered penicillin in 1928, which led to the creation of the first antibiotic that became widely used in the 1940s and after, humans got an evolutionary advantage over bacteria.
How to Outwit Evolution - Issue 103: Healthy Communication|Lina Zeldovich|July 14, 2021|Nautilus
The mold was producing the raw version of penicillin, which after a decade of further research was turned into the first modern antibiotic.
The next pandemic is already here. Covid can teach us how to fight it.|Maryn McKenna|June 23, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The new medicines, notably penicillin, eradicated pathogens and bacterial infections far more quickly than sour milk products, which replenished the body’s acidophilus bacteria, helping balance the microbes in the gut.
The Man Who Drank Cholera and Launched the Yogurt Craze - Issue 100: Outsiders|Lina Zeldovich|May 19, 2021|Nautilus
He plays Harry Lime, a man who, spoiler alert, sells fake penicillin in postwar Austria.
One Big Happy, Global, Murderous Crime Mob|Sean Culligan|March 26, 2021|Ozy

He said he’d had earlier reactions to penicillin, the paper reported.
Everything to know about allergic reactions to COVID vaccines|Karen Yuan|December 31, 2020|Fortune
He liked to quote a psychiatrist who described MDMA as “penicillin for the soul.”
The Week in Death: Alexander Shulgrin, Who Synthesized the Drug Ecstasy|The Telegraph|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The teenage schoolgirl died from an allergic reaction to penicillin last June during the botched operation.
Egypt: Stop Mutilating Little Girls!|Bel Trew|April 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pursuit of animal enhancement arose from studies made at the dawn of the penicillin era.
Is Your Bacon on Drugs?|Kent Sepkowitz|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Unfortunately, Penicillin Envy can make it difficult to achieve those lesser innovations.
Searching for Miracles|Megan McArdle|December 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It strikes me that medical research is haunted by the memory of penicillin, and the other antibiotics that immediately followed.
Searching for Miracles|Megan McArdle|December 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And in no time, penicillin was in mass production, saving untold thousands of lives.
Bear Trap|Alan Edward Nourse
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 Infamy|Lester del Rey
Bags of fertilizer can be put on display, as can vials of penicillin, and jars of herbicide.
Agricultural Implements and Machines in the Collection of the National Museum of History and Technology|John T. Schlebecker
The effect of penicillin and certain sulfa drugs on the intracellular bacteroids of the cockroach.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches|Louis M. Roth
No one would call a doctor who uniformly administers penicillin – a good doctor and, yet, this, exactly is what the IMF is doing.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin

British Dictionary definitions for penicillin

penicillin

/ (ˌpɛnɪˈsɪlɪn) /

noun

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

Word Origin for penicillin

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

Scientific definitions for penicillin

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.

Cultural definitions for penicillin

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.

notes for penicillin

Penicillin was first widely used during World War II.

penicillin

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Origin of penicillin

Words nearby penicillin

Words related to penicillin

How to use penicillin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for penicillin

Word Origin for penicillin

Scientific definitions for penicillin

Cultural definitions for penicillin

notes for penicillin