Library / English Dictionary

PENICILLIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of various antibiotics obtained from Penicillium molds (or produced synthetically) and used in the treatment of various infections and diseases

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("penicillin" is a kind of...):

antibiotic; antibiotic drug (a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that can kill microorganisms and cure bacterial infections)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "penicillin"):

amoxicillin; Amoxil; Augmentin; Larotid; Polymox; Trimox (an antibiotic; a semisynthetic oral penicillin (trade names Amoxil and Larotid and Polymox and Trimox and Augmentin) used to treat bacterial infections)

ampicillin; Polycillin; Principen; SK-Ampicillin (semisynthetic penicillin (trade names Principen and Polycillin and SK-Ampicillin))

Fulvicin; griseofulvin (a kind of penicillin (a fungicidal antibiotic with the trade name Fulvicin) produced by molds of the genus Penicillium)

methicillin (antibiotic drug of the penicillin family used in the treatment of certain staphylococcal infections)

penicillinase-resistant antibiotic (a form of penicillin that is not rendered inactive by penicillinase)

penicillin F (the first form of penicillin that was isolated in Great Britain)

benzylpenicillin; penicillin G (the penicillin that constitutes the principal component of many commercial antibiotics)

penicillin O (a penicillin that is similar in antibiotic action to penicillin G but is obtained differently)

penicillin V; phenoxymethyl penicillin (a crystalline penicillin similar in action to penicillin G but more resistant to the action of gastric acids)

piperacillin; Pipracil (a synthetic type of penicillin antibiotic (trade name Pipracil) used for moderate to severe infections)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A broad-spectrum, beta-lactam penicillin antibiotic with antibacterial activity.

(Mezlocillin, NCI Thesaurus)

A semisynthetic, narrow spectrum beta-lactamase-resistant penicillin antibiotic with bactericidal and beta-lactamase resistant activity.

(Methicillin, NCI Thesaurus)

A narrow-spectrum, semisynthetic penicillin derivative with antibacterial activity.

(Azidocillin, NCI Thesaurus)

PBP2a is crucial to MRSA strains as it enables them to keep growing in the presence of penicillin and other antibiotics derived from penicillin.

(Widely-available antibiotics could be used in the treatment of ‘superbug’ MRSA, University of Cambridge)

A common soil bacterium may hold the key to preserving the germ-killing power of penicillin.

(Soil Bacterium Tapped for Penicillin Guard Duty, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

This bacteria is motile by a single polar flagellum, oxidase positive, chemoorganotrophic, resistant to penicillin and can reduce nitrites.

(Acidovorax temperans, NCI Thesaurus)

This species is oxidase positive, nonmotile, sensitive to penicillin, and requires serum for growth.

(Moraxella lacunata, NCI Thesaurus)

This species is nonmotile, non-spore forming, indole positive, produces hydrogen sulfide, does not reduce nitrate, hydrolyzes esculin and starch, does not ferment trehalose, melezitose or arabinose, and is penicillin resistant.

(Bacteroides fragilis, NCI Thesaurus)

This species is nonmotile, urease negative, does not hydrolyze carbohydrates, gelatin, or casein, and is sensitive to penicillin, erythromycin and aminoglycosides.

(Mycoplasma orale, NCI Thesaurus)

This species is indole positive, but lipase, catalase, urease and nitrate negative, hydrolyzes esculin and gelatin, and is beta-lactamase positive thus resistant to penicillin G, vancomycin, ceftizoxime, cefotetan.

(Bacteroides nordii, NCI Thesaurus)