methicillin

[ meth-uh-sil-in ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a semisynthetic penicillin antibiotic, C 1 7 H 1 9 N 2 NaO 6 S, used principally in the treatment of severe, penicillin-resistant staphylococci infections.

methicillin

/ ˌmɛθɪˈsɪlɪn /

noun

1. a semisynthetic penicillin used to treat various infections

Word History and Origins

Origin of methicillin¹

First recorded in 1960–65; meth(yl) + (pen)icillin

Example Sentences

Penicillin is not just the name of a single antibiotic—it is also a blanket term for the family of drugs containing chemical relatives of penicillin such as amoxicillin or methicillin.

From Scientific American

Bacteria resistant to methicillin emerged in hedgehogs long before the drug was prescribed to treat infections.

From Scientific American

Close to half of these staph bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics that include methicillin, making them more difficult to fight.

From Wall Street Journal

They can spread drug resistance, making a bug like Staphylococcus aureus, which was eminently curable about seventy years ago, almost invulnerable to common antibiotics such as methicillin.

From The New Yorker

Staph infections have become increasingly resistant to drugs used to treat them, specifically methicillin.

From Time