an antibiotic synthesized from chlortetracycline or derived from the bacterium Streptomyces viridifaciens: used in treating rickettsial infections and various bacterial infections. Formula: C22H24N2O8
Word origin
C20: from tetra- + cycl(ic) + -ine2
tetracycline in American English
(ˌtɛtrəˈsaɪklɪn; ˌtɛtrəˈsaɪˌklin)
noun
a yellow, odorless, crystalline powder, C22H24N2O8, prepared synthetically or obtained from certain streptomyces: it is a broad-spectrum antibiotic
Word origin
< tetra- + cyclic + -ine3
Examples of 'tetracycline' in a sentence
tetracycline
David had noticed earlier, when the man had smiled, that his teeth were stained gray, probably from taking tetracycline at too early an age.