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bacitracin

[ bas-i-trey-sin ]
/ ˌbæs ɪˈtreɪ sɪn /
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noun Pharmacology.
an antibiotic polypeptide derived by the hydrolytic action of Bacillus subtilis on protein, primarily used topically in the treatment of superficial infections caused by susceptible Gram-positive organisms.
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Origin of bacitracin

1940–45; baci(llus) + Trac(ey), misspelled surname of Margaret Treacy (1936–94), American child whose tissues were found to contain Bacillus subtilis + -in2

Words nearby bacitracin

bacilli, bacilluria, bacillus, bacillus Calmette-Guérin, Bacillus thuringiensis, bacitracin, back, backache, back against the wall, back-alley, back anchor
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for bacitracin

bacitracin
/ (ˌbæsɪˈtreɪsɪn) /
noun
an antibiotic used mainly in treating bacterial skin infections: obtained from the bacterium Bacillus subtilis

Word Origin for bacitracin

C20: baci (llus) + -trac- from Margaret Tracy (born 1936), American girl in whose blood Bacillus subtilis was found; see -in
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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