Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An antibiotic drug obtained from molds especially of the genus Penicillium or produced synthetically, available in various preparations and usually used to treat infections caused by gram-positive bacteria.
- noun Any of a group of broad-spectrum antibiotic drugs, synthetic or semisynthetic, that are derived from penicillin.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Chem.) Any of a variety of substances having a structure containing a beta-lactam ring fused to a thiirane ring, to which a carboxyl group is attached, but most commonly interpreted as
benzyl penicillin . They are notable as powerful antibacterial agents of relatively low toxicity which have found extensive use in medicine for treating bacterial infections. They are categorized as one of the classes of beta-lactam antibiotic. They are produced naturally by some fungi and bacteria, and industrial production processes almost invariably start from some form of the penicillin nucleus produced by fermentation of microorganisms. The fermentation products are then chemically modified to produce derivatives of enhanced potency, safety, or antibacterial spectrum. The firstpenicillin to see extensive use clinically (during World War II) waspenicillin G , also calledbenzypenicillin , and commonly simply “penicillin”.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun pharmacology Any of a group of
broad-spectrum antibiotics obtained from Penicilliummolds orsynthesized ; they have abeta-lactam structure; most areactive againstgram-positive bacteria and used in thetreatment of variousinfections anddiseases .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun any of various antibiotics obtained from Penicillium molds (or produced synthetically) and used in the treatment of various infections and diseases
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I'd rather be nice and rotten than covered with those whiskers of mold, although the penicillin is a pretty good preservative.
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I'd rather be nice and rotten than covered with those whiskers of mold, although the penicillin is a pretty good preservative.
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A shot of penicillin is a cheap cure, but many people never experience specific symptoms and the disease remains undiagnosed.
Every Hour in China a Baby is Born with Syphilis | Impact Lab 2010
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The disease, once easily killed with a shot of penicillin, is increasingly becoming drug-resistant.
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Jake Gyllenhaal makes some snow shoes out of the seats of a pair of wooden chairs (still not thinking to burn them in addition to the, you know, books of Knowledge That Is Wrong) and leads an exhibition to get some penicillin from a stray oil tanker that seems to have negotiated the New York City streets and run aground next door to the NYPL without any trace of a crew on board.
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On the other hand, experience has confirmed what might have been surmised, namely that penicillin is not effective in cases of, e.g. tuberculosis, typhoid fever, poliomyelitis, and a number of other infectious diseases.
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The story of penicillin is well-known throughout the world.
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In this connection advantage was taken of the observation that the free penicillin is an acid which is more easily dissolved in certain organic solvents than in water, while its salts with alkali are more readily dissolved in water.
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In a time when annihilation and destruction through the inventions of man have been greater than ever before in history, the introduction of penicillin is a brilliant demonstration that human genius is just as well able to save life and combat disease.
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The observation made by Professor Alexander Fleming which led to the discovery of penicillin, is now almost classical.
fbharjo commented on the word penicillin
paintbrush or brushedpaint etymologically
March 6, 2009
jwjarvis commented on the word penicillin
1928 Alexander Fleming, from random mold that flew in dish. Later cultured from green mold on grapefruit. not discovered from a lead compound, it is the lead compound.
January 21, 2011