Main Entry:

tet·ra·cy·cline

Pronunciation:

\ˌte-trə-ˈsī-ˌklēn\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

International Scientific Vocabulary tetracyclic having four fused hydrocarbon rings + ²-ine

Date:

1952

: a yellow crystalline broad-spectrum antibiotic C₂₂H₂₄N₂O₈ produced by streptomyces or synthetically ; also : any of several chemically related antibiotics (as doxycycline)