cephalosporin

[ sef-uh-loh-spawr-in, -spohr- ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. any of a group of widely used broad-spectrum antibiotics, originally isolated as a product of fermentation from the fungus Cephalosporium acremonium.

cephalosporin

/ ˌsɛfələʊˈspɔːrɪn /

noun

1. any of a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics obtained from fungi of the genus Cephalosporium

Word History and Origins

Origin of cephalosporin¹

1950–55; < New Latin Cephalospor ( ium ) the genus ( cephalo-, -spore, -ium ) + -in ²