Penicillin - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
Penicillin is an antibiotic medicine used to treat bacterial infections. It was the first widely effective antibiotic, discovered by Alexander Fleming, and works by killing or stopping the growth of harmful bacteria.
Definition:
An antibiotic derived from mold, used to treat bacterial infections.
Synonyms:
antibiotic, antimicrobial, antibacterial
Part of Speech:
noun
Antonyms:
pathogen, infection (contextual opposites)
Common Collocations:
penicillin allergy, penicillin resistance, penicillin injection
Derivatives:
penicillins, penicillinase
Usage Tips:
Use "penicillin" to refer specifically to the antibiotic, not general medicines.
Common Phrases:
allergic to penicillin, penicillin shot, penicillin breakthrough
Etymology:
From Latin *Penicillium* (mold genus) + "-in" (chemical suffix), named by Alexander Fleming in 1928.
Examples:
- 1. The doctor prescribed penicillin for her infection.
- 2. Penicillin revolutionized medicine by treating once-deadly diseases.
- 3. Some people have severe allergic reactions to penicillin.
- 4. The bacteria developed resistance to penicillin over time.