# antibiotic

Pronunciation: US say "an-ty-by-AH-tik" /ˌæn.taɪ.baɪˈɑ.tɪk/; UK say "an-tee-by-OT-ik" /ˌæn.ti.baɪˈɒt.ɪk/

## Noun

1. A substance that destroys or inhibits the growth of bacteria and similar microorganisms, generally carried through the body by the lymphatic system.
   - Simple: A medicine that kills bacteria or stops them from growing.
   - _Her doctor prescribed an antibiotic after the wound became infected._
   - _Overusing antibiotics can lead to resistant strains of bacteria._

## Adjective

2. Relating to antibiotics or to their action against bacteria.
   - Simple: Having to do with medicines that kill bacteria.
   - _The ointment's antibiotic action kept the cut from becoming infected._
   - _Researchers studied the antibiotic effects of several soil fungi._

## Adjective

3. Concerning the theory that there is no life anywhere other than on Earth. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Relating to the old idea that no life exists anywhere beyond Earth.

## Origin

Borrowed from French antibiotique; by surface analysis it is formed from anti- plus -biotic.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/antibiotic (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).