sulfa drug

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. any of a group of drugs closely related in chemical structure to sulfanilamide, having a bacteriostatic rather than a bacteriocidal effect: used in the treatment of various wounds, burns, and infections.

sulfa drug

/ ˈsʌlfə /

noun

1. any of a group of sulfonamide compounds that inhibit the activity of bacteria and are used in medicine to treat bacterial infections

sulfa drug

/ sŭl′fə /

1. See under sulfonamide

Word History and Origins

Origin of sulfa drug¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Her father, her mother said on the phone, had fallen into a coma after his kidneys failed in response to a sulfa drug.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• penicillin