antibiotic
noun /ˌæntibaɪˈɒtɪk/
/ˌæntibaɪˈɑːtɪk/, /ˌæntaɪbaɪˈɑːtɪk/
[usually plural]- a substance, for example penicillin, that can destroy or prevent the growth of bacteria and cure infections
- The doctor put her on antibiotics (= told her to take them).
Extra ExamplesTopics Social issuesb2- I got an antibiotic for my ear infection.
- Meat from animals that receive antibiotics could not be classified as organic.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- effective
- oral
- broad-spectrum
- …
- course
- dose
- be on
- take
- be given
- …
- antibiotic for
Word Originmid 19th cent. (in the sense ‘doubting the possibility of life in a certain environment’): from anti- + Greek biōtikos ‘fit for life’ (from bios ‘life’).