English 'antibiotic' was coined in 1942 by Selman Waksman from Greek 'anti' (against) + 'bios' (life), from PIE *gʷeyh₃- (to live) — a compound that captures the paradox of the substance: it destroys bacterial life in order to save human life, life working against life.
A medicine (such as penicillin) that inhibits or destroys the growth of bacteria, used to treat bacterial infections.
Coined in 1942 by microbiologist Selman Waksman from Greek 'anti' (ἀντί, against, opposite) + 'biotikos' (βιωτικός, pertaining to life), from 'bios' (βίος, life), from PIE *gʷeyh₃- (to live). Waksman coined the term to describe chemical substances produced by microorganisms that kill or inhibit the growth of other microorganisms. The word is a biological paradox: an antibiotic destroys