erythromycin

UK: /ɪˌrɪθrəʊˈmaɪsɪn/ US: (i rith′rə mī′sin)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

e•ryth•ro•my•cin  (i rith′rə mī′sin), n. 

1. Drugs [Pharm.] an antibiotic, C₃₇H₆₇NO₁₃, produced by an actinomycete, Streptomyces erythraeus, used chiefly in the treatment of diseases caused by many Gram-positive and some Gram-negative organisms.

• erythro- + -mycin 1950–55

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

erythromycin / ɪˌrɪθrəʊˈmaɪsɪn/ noun

1. an antibiotic used in treating certain infections,sometimes as an alternative to penicillin. It is obtained from the bacterium Streptomyces erythreus. Formula: C₃₇M₆₇NO₁₃

Etymology: 20th Century: from erythro- + Greek mukēs fungus + -in