Main Entry:

gen·ta·mi·cin

Pronunciation:

\ˌjen-tə-ˈmī-s^ən\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

alteration of earlier gentamycin, from gentian violet + kanamycin; from the color of the actinomycete

Date:

1963

: a broad-spectrum antibiotic mixture derived from an actinomycete (Micromonospora purpurea or M. echinospora) and extensively used as the sulfate in treating infections (as of the urinary tract)