tetracycline

[ te-truh-sahy-kleen, -klin ]
/ ˌtɛ trəˈsaɪ klin, -klɪn /

noun Pharmacology.

an antibiotic, C22H24H2O8, derived from chlortetracycline, used in medicine to treat a broad variety of infections.

Origin of tetracycline

First recorded in 1950–55; tetra- + cycl- + -ine2

Example sentences from the Web for tetracycline

  • I didn't spot it until I found them wolfing down the tetracycline capsules in my samples case.

    The Native Soil |Alan Edward Nourse

British Dictionary definitions for tetracycline

tetracycline
/ (ˌtɛtrəˈsaɪklaɪn, -klɪn) /

noun

an antibiotic synthesized from chlortetracycline or derived from the bacterium Streptomyces viridifaciens: used in treating rickettsial infections and various bacterial infections. Formula: C 22 H 24 N 2 O 8

Word Origin for tetracycline

C20: from tetra- + cycl ( ic) + -ine ²

Medical definitions for tetracycline

tetracycline
[ tĕt′rə-sīklēn′, -klĭn ]

n.

A yellow crystalline compound synthesized or derived from certain actinomycetes of the genus Streptomyces and used as a broad-spectrum antibiotic.
An antibiotic, such as oxytetracycline, having the same basic structure.

Scientific definitions for tetracycline

tetracycline
[ tĕt′rə-sīklēn′, -klĭn ]

A yellow crystalline compound, C22H24N2O8, synthesized or derived from several bacterial species of the genus Streptomyces and used as an antibiotic in bacterial infections. Other drugs of the tetracycline class have a similar chemical structure.