As a noun, an antibiotic is a medicine that kills bacteria or stops them from growing, helping to treat infections. As an adjective, it describes something that works against living microorganisms.
From Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against' and 'biōtikos' meaning 'of life', from 'bios' (life). The modern medical use took off in the 20th century with drugs like penicillin.
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