Coined in 1942 by Selman Waksman from Greek 'anti' (against) and 'bios' (life) to name naturally occurring substances that kill bacteria.
Medicines that destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms, used to treat and prevent infections.
Coined in 1942 by the Ukrainian-American microbiologist Selman Waksman from Greek 'anti-' (against) and 'biotikos' (fit for life, pertaining to life), itself from 'bios' (life). The related adjective 'antibiotic' had appeared in 1860 in French scientific writing, where it meant 'opposed to the theory of living organisms causing fermentation.' Waksman repurposed the word to name substances produced
Selman Waksman, who coined 'antibiotic' in 1942, deliberately chose the word to mean substances of biological origin that kill other organisms — distinguishing them from synthetic chemicals like the sulfonamides. He later won the Nobel Prize in 1952 for discovering streptomycin, the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis.