definitions

tetracycline

[ te-truh-sahy-kleen, -klin ]
/ ˌtɛ trəˈsaɪ klin, -klɪn /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tetracycline ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Pharmacology.

an antibiotic, C22H24H2O8, derived from chlortetracycline, used in medicine to treat a broad variety of infections.

RELATED WORDS

penicillin, amoxicillin, erythromycin, streptomycin, ampicillin, sulfonamide

Nearby words

tetracoccus, tetracosactide, tetracrotic, tetracyclic, tetracyclic antidepressant, tetracycline, tetracyn, tetrad, tetradactyl, tetradactylous, tetradrachma

Origin of tetracycline

First recorded in 1950–55; tetra- + cycl- + -ine2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tetracycline

  • I didn't spot it until I found them wolfing down the tetracycline capsules in my samples case.

    The Native Soil|Alan Edward Nourse

British Dictionary definitions for tetracycline

tetracycline

/ (ˌtɛtrəˈsaɪklaɪn, -klɪn) /

noun

an antibiotic synthesized from chlortetracycline or derived from the bacterium Streptomyces viridifaciens: used in treating rickettsial infections and various bacterial infections. Formula: C 22 H 24 N 2 O 8

Word Origin for tetracycline

C20: from tetra- + cycl (ic) + -ine ²
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 tetracycline

tetracycline

n.

1952, with chemical suffix -ine (2) + tetracyclic "containing four fused hydrocarbon rings," from tetra- + cyclic (see cycle (n.)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for tetracycline

tetracycline

[ tĕt′rə-sī′klēn′, -klĭn ]

n.

A yellow crystalline compound synthesized or derived from certain actinomycetes of the genus Streptomyces and used as a broad-spectrum antibiotic.
An antibiotic, such as oxytetracycline, having the same basic structure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for tetracycline

tetracycline

[ tĕt′rə-sī′klēn′, -klĭn ]

A yellow crystalline compound, C22H24N2O8, synthesized or derived from several bacterial species of the genus Streptomyces and used as an antibiotic in bacterial infections. Other drugs of the tetracycline class have a similar chemical structure.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.