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antibiotic Hear it!

antibiotic definition

☆ anti·bi·otic (-bī ät′ik, -bē-)

adjective

  1. of antibiosis
  2. destroying bacteria and other microorganisms or inhibiting their growth
  3. of antibiotics

noun

any of certain chemical substances produced by various microorganisms, specif. bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes, and having the capacity, in dilute solutions, to inhibit the growth of or to destroy bacteria and other microorganisms: the antibiotics, including penicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline, are used in the treatment of various infectious diseases

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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