Antibiotic
/ˌæntɪbaɪˈɒtɪk/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA medicine that kills bacteria or stops them from growing.
Extra definitions
nounA drug used to treat bacterial infections.
nounA substance produced to fight harmful bacteria.
nounAny substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria and similar microorganisms, generally transported by the lymphatic system.
Sentence Examples
The doctor prescribed an antibiotic.
This antibiotic treats bacterial infections.
Finish the full course of your antibiotic.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
None
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from French antibiotique; by surface analysis, anti- + -biotic.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
“On a summer visit back to the farm here where I grew up, I think I figured out the central problem with modern industrial agriculture. It’s not just that it produces unhealthy food, mishandles waste and overuses antibiotics in ways that harm us all.”
— 2009 August 22, Nicholas Kristof, “Food for the Soul”, in The New York Times:
“We selected colistimethate sodium (CMS) as our antibiotic of choice.”
— 2015 November 7, “Lung Microbiota Changes Associated with Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lung Infection and the Impact of Intravenous Colistimethate Sodium”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor prescribed an ____.