ANTIBIOTIC

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does antibiotic mean? 

• ANTIBIOTIC (noun)
  The noun ANTIBIOTIC has 1 sense:

1. a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that can kill microorganisms and cure bacterial infections

  Familiarity information: ANTIBIOTIC used as a noun is very rare.

• ANTIBIOTIC (adjective)
  The adjective ANTIBIOTIC has 1 sense:

1. of or relating to antibiotic drugs

  Familiarity information: ANTIBIOTIC used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ANTIBIOTIC (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that can kill microorganisms and cure bacterial infections

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

antibiotic; antibiotic drug

Context example:

when antibiotics were first discovered they were called wonder drugs

Hypernyms ("antibiotic" is a kind of...):

antibacterial; antibacterial drug; bactericide (any drug that destroys bacteria or inhibits their growth)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "antibiotic"):

pyocyanin (a toxic blue crystalline antibiotic found in green pus)

mitomycin; Mutamycin (a complex of antibiotic substances obtained from a streptomyces bacterium; one form (trade name Mutamycin) shows promise as an anticancer drug)

mycomycin (a highly unsaturated antibiotic acid obtained from an actinomycete)

fradicin; Neobiotic; neomycin (an antibiotic obtained from an actinomycete and used (as a sulphate under the trade name Neobiotic) as an intestinal antiseptic in surgery)

novobiocin (an antibiotic obtained from an actinomycete and used to treat infections by Gram-positive bacteria)

Mycostatin; Nystan; nystatin (an antifungal and antibiotic (trade names Mycostatin and Nystan) discovered in New York State; derived from soil fungi actinomycetes)

hydroxytetracycline; oxytetracycline; oxytetracycline hydrochloride; Terramycin (a yellow crystalline antibiotic (trademark Terramycin) obtained from a soil actinomycete; used to treat various bacterial and rickettsial infections)

penicillin (any of various antibiotics obtained from Penicillium molds (or produced synthetically) and used in the treatment of various infections and diseases)

polymyxin (any of several toxic antibiotics obtained from a particular soil bacterium)

Primaxin (trade name for a parenteral antibiotic)

pyocyanase (a yellow-green mixture of antibiotics obtained from the bacillus of green pus)

Lincocin; lincomycin (antibiotic (trade name Lincocin) obtained from a streptomyces bacterium and used in the treatment of certain penicillin-resistant infections)

spectinomycin (an antibiotic used to treat gonorrhea)

streptomycin (an antibiotic produced by the actinomycete Streptomyces griseus and used to treat tuberculosis)

streptothricin (a basic antibiotic derived from a soil actinomycete)

subtilin (a polypeptide antibiotic (similar to bacitracin) obtained from a soil bacterium)

Nebcin; tobramycin (an antibiotic (trade name Nebcin) that is especially effective against Gram-negative bacteria)

tyrocidin; tyrocidine (a basic polypeptide antibiotic derived from a soil bacterium; a major component of tyrothricin)

tyrothricin (a mixture of antibiotics applied locally to infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria)

Vancocin; vancomycin (an antibiotic (trade name Vancocin) effective against some bacterial infections)

Viocin; viomycin (a basic polypeptide antibiotic (trade name Viocin) administered intramuscularly (along with other drugs) in the treatment of tuberculosis)

Aureomycin; chlortetracycline (a yellow crystalline antibiotic (trade name Aureomycin) used to treat certain bacterial and rickettsial diseases)

amphotericin (an antibiotic and antifungal agent)

antimycin (a crystalline antibiotic active against various fungi)

antineoplastic antibiotic (an antibiotic drug used as an antineoplastic in chemotherapy)

Azactam; aztreonam (an antibiotic (trade name Azactam) used against severe infections; has minimal side effects)

bacitracin (a polypeptide antibiotic of known chemical structure effective against several types of Gram-positive organisms; usually applied locally)

carbomycin (a colorless basic antibiotic that inhibits the growth of Gram-positive organisms)

cephaloglycin; Kafocin (antibiotic related to cephalosporin but no longer in common use)

cephaloridine (a broad spectrum semisynthetic antibiotic produced by modifying cephalosporin)

cephalosporin; Mefoxin (one of several broad spectrum antibiotic substances obtained from fungi and related to penicillin (trade names Mefoxin); addition of side chains has produced semisynthetic antibiotics with greater antibacterial activity)

chloramphenicol; Chloromycetin (an oral antibiotic (trade name Chloromycetin) used to treat serious infections (especially typhoid fever))

actinomycin (any of various red antibiotics isolated from soil bacteria)

Cipro; ciprofloxacin (an oral antibiotic (trade name Cipro) used against serious bacterial infections of the skin or respiratory tract or urinary tract or bones or joints)

cycloserine (an antibiotic that is especially active against the tubercle bacillus)

dihydrostreptomycin (antibiotic consisting of a hydrogenated form of streptomycin; used against tuberculosis and tularemia and Gram-negative organisms)

doxorubicin (an antibiotic used as an anticancer drug)

doxycycline; Vibramycin (an antibiotic derived from tetracycline that is effective against many infections)

E-Mycin; Erythrocin; erythromycin; Ethril; Ilosone; Pediamycin (an antibiotic (trade name Erythrocin or E-Mycin or Ethril or Ilosone or Pediamycin) obtained from the actinomycete Streptomyces erythreus; effective against many Gram-positive bacteria and some Gram-negative)

Garamycin; gentamicin (an antibiotic (trade name Garamycin) that is derived from an actinomycete; used in treating infections of the urinary tract)

gramicidin (an antibiotic produced by a soil bacterium; used chiefly as an antiseptic in treating local infections produced by Gram-positive bacteria)

kanamycin; Kantrex (antibiotic (trade name Kantrex) used to treat severe infections)

Derivation:

antibiotic (of or relating to antibiotic drugs)

• ANTIBIOTIC (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to antibiotic drugs

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Pertainym:

antibiotic (a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that can kill microorganisms and cure bacterial infections)

Derivation:

antibiotic (a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that can kill microorganisms and cure bacterial infections)

 Context examples 

The sulfate salt of amikacin, a broad-spectrum semi-synthetic aminoglycoside antibiotic, derived from kanamycin with antimicrobial property.

(Amikacin Sulfate, NCI Thesaurus)

A broad-spectrum semi-synthetic aminoglycoside antibiotic, derived from kanamycin with antimicrobial property.

(Amikacin, NCI Thesaurus)

It belongs to the family of drugs called aminoglycoside antibiotics.

(Amikacin, NCI Dictionary)

An aminoglycoside antibiotic is used to treat bacterial infections.

(Aminoglycoside antibiotic, NCI Dictionary)

Any antibiotic containing amino-modified sugars originally isolated from various Streptomyces and Micromonospora species.

(Aminoglycoside antibiotic, NCI Thesaurus)

A semisynthetic derivative of the anthracycline antineoplastic antibiotic nogalamycin.

(Menogaril, NCI Thesaurus)

A method to determine microbial susceptibility to high concentrations of aminoglycoside antibiotics.

(Aminoglycoside Screening Method, NCI Thesaurus)

The hydrochloride salt of alvespimycin, an analogue of the antineoplastic benzoquinone antibiotic geldanamycin.

(Alvespimycin Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

It is a type of anthracycline antitumor antibiotic.

(Adriamycin PFS, NCI Dictionary)

It is an anthracycline and is a type of antitumor antibiotic.

(AD 32, NCI Dictionary)