antibiotics

[an-ti-bahy-ot-ik, -bee-, an-tee-, -tahy-] Example Sentences

an·ti·bi·ot·ic

[an-ti-bahy-ot-ik, -bee-, an-tee-, -tahy-] Biochemistry, Pharmacology
noun
1.
any of a large group of chemical substances, as penicillin or streptomycin, produced by various microorganisms and fungi, having the capacity in dilute solutions to inhibit the growth of or to destroy bacteria and other microorganisms, used chiefly in the treatment of infectious diseases.
adjective
2.
of or involving antibiotics.

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Antibiotics is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

Origin:
1855–60, for an earlier sense; anti- + biotic

an·ti·bi·ot·i·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To antibiotics
Example Sentences
  • Around a third of them were also given some antibiotics at the same time as having their wounds dressed with honey.
  • He was ordered to stop messing about, and to develop antibiotics instead.
  • Antibiotics are used to treat plague, but some fear that if the bacteria develop resistance, another pandemic could occur.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
antibiotic   (ān'tĭ-bī-ŏt'ĭk)  Pronunciation Key 
Noun   A substance, such as penicillin, that is capable of destroying or weakening certain microorganisms, especially bacteria or fungi, that cause infections or infectious diseases. Antibiotics are usually produced by or synthesized from other microorganisms, such as molds. They inhibit pathogens by interfering with essential intracellular processes, including the synthesis of bacterial proteins. Antibiotics do not kill viruses and are not effective in treating viral infections.

Adjective  
  1. Relating to antibiotics.

  2. Relating to antibiosis.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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