tetracycline

American  

[te-truh-sahy-kleen, -klin] / ˌtɛ trəˈsaɪ klin, -klɪn /

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.

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tetracycline British  

/ -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

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tetracycline Scientific  

/ tĕt′rə-sī′klēn′,-klĭn /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of tetracycline

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

Example Sentences

Tetracycline or doxycycline should be taken one hour before or two hours after dairy products to reduce potential absorption interference.

From Washington Post • Dec. 3, 2021

Tetracycline, which kills bacteria by disabling a cellular structure known as the ribosome, is the target of one such effort.

From Time Magazine Archive

Tetracycline has the further peculiarity of glowing yellow under ultraviolet light.

From Time Magazine Archive

Tetracycline is one of the most familiar and widely used antibiotics for the cure of infections.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• penicillin