vancomycin

noun

van·​co·​my·​cin ˌvaŋ-kə-ˈmī-sᵊn How to pronounce vancomycin (audio)
: an antibiotic C66H75Cl2N9O24 derived from an actinomycete (Amycolatopsis orientalis synonym Streptomyces orientalis) that is effective against gram-positive bacteria and is used chiefly in the form of its hydrochloride C66H75Cl2N9O24·HCl especially against staphylococci resistant to methicillin

Examples of vancomycin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As with my friend Candy, a single course of oral vancomycin, taken four times a day, quashed this patient’s illness. Claire Panosian Dunavan, Discover Magazine, 8 Feb. 2011 About 1 in 3 infections are resistant to the go-to antibiotic, vancomycin. Christian Millman, Discover Magazine, 6 June 2018 However, a newer antibiotic, fidaxomicin, has been proven more effective and would be a better choice for you, having failed a course of vancomycin. Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 18 Aug. 2022 Swabs from the skin, nose and mouth, as well as saliva and stool samples, showed that 34 percent of all participants had antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as resistant Gram-negative bacilli or vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 16 May 2022 See all Example Sentences for vancomycin 

Word History

Etymology

vanco- (of uncertain origin) + -mycin

Note: The claim by recent authors that vanco- is formed from the verb vanquish (see, for example, Donald P. Levine, "Vancomycin: a history," Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 42, supplement 1, pp. S5-12) is not substantiated by early sources.

First Known Use

circa 1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vancomycin was circa 1956

Dictionary Entries Near vancomycin

Cite this Entry

“Vancomycin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vancomycin. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

vancomycin

noun
van·​co·​my·​cin ˌvaŋ-kə-ˈmīs-ᵊn How to pronounce vancomycin (audio)
: an antibiotic C66H75Cl2N9O24 derived from an actinomycete (Amycolatopsis orientalis synonym Streptomyces orientalis synonym Nocardia orientalis) that is effective against gram-positive bacteria and is used chiefly in the form of its hydrochloride C66H75Cl2N9O24·HCl especially against staphylococci resistant to methicillin see vancocin
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