-mycin

The combining form –mycin is used like a suffix to name antibiotics, typically those that come from fungi. It can also be used to refer to antibiotics derived from the bacteria Streptomyces, which has a fungus-like structure. It is frequently used in medical terms.

The form –mycin comes from a combination of two elements. The first is Greek mýkos, meaning “fungus.” The second is the suffix -in, a variant of –ine, which is used to name chemical terms. The form –mycin literally refers to chemicals from fungus (or fungus-like bacteria).

What are variants of –mycin?

Though –mycin doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the combining forms myc–, myceto–, myco–, –mycete, and –mycetes. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use articles for each of these forms.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features –mycin is erythromycin, “an antibiotic produced by an actinomycete,” a kind of fungus.

The first part of the word, erythro–, means “red.” The –mycin part of the word indicates an “antibiotic made from fungus.” Erythromycin literally means “red antibiotic made from fungus.”

What are some words that use the combining form –mycin?

• actinomycin
• Albamycin
• kanamycin (using the equivalent form of –mycin in Latin)
• neomycin
• vancomycin

What are some other forms that –mycin may be commonly confused with?

• -mancy
• miso-

The form vanco– means “from unexplained origin.” With this in mind, what does vancomycin literally mean?