antibiotic
Definitions
A medicine that kills or stops the growth of bacteria, used to treat infections
抗生素，杀灭或抑制细菌生长、用于治疗感染的药物
Able to destroy or inhibit the growth of microorganisms
抗菌的，能杀灭或抑制微生物生长的
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedanti- (against) + bio (life) + -tic (adj.) = 'against life.' The 'life' here is microbial: an antibiotic destroys living bacteria. That's why it does nothing to a virus, which behaves differently from the living cells the drug is built to attack.
Root bio still carries 34 more wordsWhy It Means This
The literal sense — 'against life' — sounds alarming until you remember the life in question is bacterial. When penicillin was found to kill microbes, scientists named the whole class after what it does: it works against (living) germs. The flip side, abiotic, uses the same bio but means 'without life' (non-living rocks, water, temperature).
Common Collocations
- 1.antibiotic resistance抗生素耐药性
- 2.antibiotic treatment抗生素治疗
- 3.course of antibiotics一个疗程的抗生素
- 4.broad-spectrum antibiotic广谱抗生素
Example Sentences
- 1.
The doctor prescribed a week-long course of antibiotics.
- 2.
Overusing antibiotics breeds drug-resistant bacteria.
- 3.
Honey has mild antibiotic properties.