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Glite Dictionary
benzylpenicillin

benzylpenicillin

5.9
A medicine that kills bacteria and treats infections, often given by injection
  • noun
  • /ˌbɛn.zɪlˈpɛnɪˌsɪlɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : benzilpenicilina
  • The doctor prescribed benzylpenicillin to effectively treat her bacterial infection.

Examples

  • Due to its potency, benzylpenicillin is commonly used in hospitals to treat severe infections.

  • In the lab, they tested the effectiveness of benzylpenicillin against various strains of bacteria.

  • Examples include snake antivenoms and benzathine benzylpenicillin.

    Academic text (2016)

Synonyms

penicillin G
vsbenzylpenicillin
  • Specialized
3.4

A natural antibiotic used to treat many bacterial infections

is the clinical name for the same antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections

Surface Forms

benzylpenicillin singular
benzylpenicillins plural

Morphology

benzylpenicillin = penicillin (semi-transparent) = benzyl + penicillin

Built from the modifier 'benzyl' plus 'penicillin'; it denotes a subtype of penicillin but 'benzyl' is a specialised chemical term unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

Benzylpenicillin is made of benzyl and penicillin: benzyl is a chemical name linked to benzene, and penicillin is named after the mold Penicillium, which looked like a little 'brush'. So benzylpenicillin means a penicillin that has a benzyl chemical part, which is why it is one specific kind of penicillin used to treat infections.