Antimicrobic

/ˌæntiːmaɪˈkroʊbɪk/ adjective

Definition

Variant form meaning designed to kill or prevent the growth of microorganisms.

Etymology

From anti- (against) + microbic (alternate form of microbial). Less common than antimicrobial, this variant exists in older medical literature.

Kelly Says

The difference between antimicrobic and antimicrobial is just 'al' at the end, but they mean the same thing—language often has these duplicate forms from historical language evolution!

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