From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpenicillinpen‧i‧cil‧lin /ˌpenɪˈsɪlɪn/ noun [uncountable] MDa type of medicine that is used to treat infections caused by bacteria
Examples from the Corpus
penicillin• Experimentally, a penicillin focus is created in animals by applying penicillin in very high concentrations directly to the cortex.• The study continued to be funded by the government long after penicillin was available as a cure.• Sulfa drugs, penicillin and other antibiotics had not yet been discovered.• You must tell your doctor if you're allergic to certain antibiotics not penicillin, or to rabbits.• Treatment Since the discovery of penicillin, the treatment of syphilis has been revolutionized.• Usually alternative drugs are available when a germ resists penicillin.• They've found that the death rate among patients treated early with penicillin was nearly half that of those who were not.• Chain had overcome the problems which had defeated every previous experimenter with penicillin, but only on a small scale.Origin penicillin (1900-2000) Modern Latin Penicillium name of a type of mold, from Latin penicillus; → PENCIL1 