Antifungal

/ˌæntiˈfʌŋɡəl/ adjective, noun

Definition

A substance or medication that kills fungi or stops them from growing, used to treat infections like athlete's foot or candida.

Etymology

From anti- (against) + fungal (relating to fungi), a medical term that became common in the 20th century as antifungal drugs were developed.

Kelly Says

Before modern antifungal medicines, fungal infections were incredibly hard to treat—penicillin was discovered by accident when Fleming noticed mold killing bacteria, but it took decades to develop drugs targeting fungi themselves!

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