tetracycline

[te-truh-sahy-kleen, -klin]

noun

Pharmacology.

1. an antibiotic, C 22 H 24 H 2 O 8 , derived from chlortetracycline, used in medicine to treat a broad variety of infections.

tetracycline

/ -klɪn, ˌtɛtrəˈsaɪklaɪn /

noun

1. 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

tetracycline

1. A yellow crystalline compound, C ₂₂ H ₂₄ N ₂ O ₈, 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetracycline¹

First recorded in 1950–55; tetra- + cycl- + -ine ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetracycline¹

C20: from _tetra- + _cycl ( _ic ) + _-ine ²

Example Sentences

Interestingly, the researchers found some of the samples were resistant to the antibiotic tetracycline and did not carry antibiotic resistance genes typically seen in today's antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.

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If the patient needs more therapeutic protein, then he/she would take more tetracycline to boost production.

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The first is a phototoxic reaction, often seen with certain antibiotics such as tetracycline.

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In France, where some of the studies were conducted, about 65 percent of infections are resistant to tetracyclines, a class of antibiotics that includes doxycycline.

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Doxycycline, a relative of the antibiotic tetracycline, has been around for more than 45 years and is commonly used to treat and prevent acne and Lyme disease.

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Related Words

• penicillin