noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A broad-spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic mixture, derived from an actinomycete (Micromonospora echinospora), extensively used as the sulfate in treating severe systemic bacterial infections (as of the urinary tract); (3R,4R,5R)-2-{[(1S,2S,3R,4S,6R)-4,6-diamino-3-{[(2R,3R,6S)-3-amino-6-[(1R)-1-(methylamino)ethyl]oxan-2-yl]oxy}-2-hydroxycyclohexyl]oxy}-5-methyl-4-(methylamino)oxane-3,5-diol. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   an antibiotic (trade name Garamycin) that is derived from an actinomycete; used in treating infections of the urinary tract wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

garamycinmicromonosporasisomicin

Example

More examples

"Gentamicin is an antibiotic that is typically not used to treat sexually transmitted infections."

Etymology

Alteration of gentamycin, as a blend of gentian violet + kanamycin, from the color of the actinomycete.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.