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Penicillin - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
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Penicillin : (noun)
1: any of various antibiotics obtained from penicillium molds
(or produced synthetically) and used in the treatment of
various infections and diseases
Based on WordNet 2.0
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Penicillin : Penicillin: The most famous of all antibiotics, named for the bacteria .
Penicillin is active against a number of types of bacteria including Clostridium , Peptococcus, and Peptostreptococcus.
Most staphylococci now are resistant to penicillin . Today, manyderivatives of penicillin are available which act on more types of bacteria than penicillin itself.
The name "penicillium" was taken from the Latin "penicillum" meaning "a painter's brush" because the fronds of the fungus were thought to look like a painter's brush.
For information about the pharmacology of penicillin, see Penicillin V, See also: Penicillin history.
Based on WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003)
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