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an·ti·bi·ot·ic
 antibiotic
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- pronunciation:
- aen
ti
baI
a
tihk
- features:
- Word Explorer, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition: |
substance derived from fungi or other organisms and used to destroy or prevent the growth of bacteria or other disease-causing organisms.
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| derivation: |
antibiotically (adv.) |
The word antibiotic
contains the following parts:
-ic
Latin and Greek
adjective-forming suffix
that means like, pertaining to
  More about this word part:
The suffix -ic
attaches to roots and words of Greek or Latin origin to form adjectives. A few words ending in -ic
(magic
, critic
, music
) were adjectives that became nouns in Greek before they entered English, also as nouns.
Example words:
aerobic, antibiotic, aquatic, civic, comic, critic, democratic, domestic, dramatic, eccentric, economic, erratic, fantastic, geometric, magic, microscopic, music, pathetic, periodic, physical, physics, sonic, sympathetic
-otic
Greek
adjective-forming suffix
that means having or related to (a condition or state)
More about this word part:
The suffix -otic
attaches to Greek roots to form adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in "-osis."
Example words:
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