Teicoplanin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A glycopeptide antibiotic drug, related to vancomycin, that is used to treat serious bacterial infections such as those caused by resistant staphylococci
2. A powerful antibacterial medicine from the glycopeptide class, given to fight severe infections, particularly those resistant to other antibiotics
3. A complex antibiotic compound employed in hospitals to combat serious Gram-positive bacterial infections when other treatments have failed

Etymology: Teicoplanin is a modern pharmaceutical coinage, not a word with an older history in English. It was formed to name a drug, and it takes its pieces from the scientific name of the soil bacterium that produces the compound, "Actinoplanes teichomyceticus". The "teico-" element comes from the species name, and the "-planin" ending appears to echo the genus name "Actinoplanes". The word works like a label that identifies both the molecule and the organism it came from. Drug names of this kind are usually invented rather than drawn from everyday vocabulary, so the word has no meaning beyond identifying the compound.