Antibiotic

Pronunciation
/an-tih-BIH-ot-ik/
Category
Microbiology
Singular
Antibiotic
Plural
Antibiotics

Definition

A substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, but excluding viruses.

Etymology

From Latin 'anti-', meaning 'against', and 'bios', meaning 'life'.

Example

Penicillin is an example of a commonly used antibiotic.

Related Terms