Cefalexin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A semi-synthetic antibiotic from the cephalosporin group used to treat various bacterial infections such as respiratory and skin infections
2. An oral broad-spectrum antibiotic belonging to the cephalosporin class that works by stopping bacteria from building their cell walls
3. A medication in the cephalosporin family prescribed to combat bacterial illnesses including urinary tract and skin infections

Etymology: Cefalexin is a drug name built from chemical nomenclature rather than from a story about a person or an event. Its first part comes from cephalosporanic acid, the parent compound of the cephalosporin antibiotics, and the name was formed by clipping that term down to "cef-". The antibiotic is itself named after the cephalosporium mould, a genus of fungi, which gave the family its name. The second half of the word is less settled. The etymology notes that it may be "alexin", a term drawn from Greek for "to ward off", which would fit an antibiotic's job of warding off bacteria, but this link is uncertain and should be treated as a guess. The "cef-" element is clipped, not a direct form of "cephalo-", which is why the source raises the question at all.

Synonyms: cephalexin, Keflex