Antibiotic
/ˌæn.taɪ.baɪˈɒt.ɪk/noun
A medicine that kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Did you know?The term was coined in modern scientific Greek from *anti-* “against” + *biotikos* “pertaining to life,” and it originally contrasted with the older idea of substances that were merely “against living things,” not magical cures.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷei-
“to live”
Ancient Greek
Greek
βίος (bios)
“life”
Ancient Greek
Greek
βιωτικός (biōtikos)
“pertaining to life, fit for life”
Modern Scientific Greek
Greek
ἀντιβιωτικός (antibiōtikos)
“opposed to life”
1940s
English
antibiotic
“a substance that destroys or inhibits bacteria”