antibiotic

antibiotic is a topic covered in the Taber's Medical Dictionary.

To view the entire topic, please or .

Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary 24th Edition Online + App from F.A. Davis and Unbound Medicine. Find 75,000 medical and nursing definitions. Download to iPhone, iPad, and Android. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

(ant″i-bī-ot′ik)

To hear audio pronunciation of this topic, purchase a subscription or log in.

[anti- + biotic]

1. A natural or synthetic substance that destroys microorganisms or inhibits their growth. Antibiotics are used extensively to treat infectious diseases in plants, animals, and humans.
SEE: antimicrobial drug; SEE: bacterium
2. Destructive to life.
3. Pert. to antibiosis.

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

(ant″i-bī-ot′ik)

To hear audio pronunciation of this topic, purchase a subscription or log in.

[anti- + biotic]

1. A natural or synthetic substance that destroys microorganisms or inhibits their growth. Antibiotics are used extensively to treat infectious diseases in plants, animals, and humans.
SEE: antimicrobial drug; SEE: bacterium
2. Destructive to life.
3. Pert. to antibiosis.

There's more to see -- the rest of this entry is available only to subscribers.