gentamicin

noun

gen·​ta·​mi·​cin ˌjen-tə-ˈmī-sᵊn 

: 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)

Examples of gentamicin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The infection is treatable with antibiotics like streptomycin, gentamicin and amikacin, according to the New York State Department of Health. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Additionally, some aminoglycoside antibiotics like gentamicin and tobramycin can cause your body to lose magnesium through urine. — Alex Yampolsky, Verywell Health, 28 Oct. 2024

This includes some older antibiotics, like streptomycin or gentamicin, or newer ones, such as ciprofloxacin. — Mark Kortepeter, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

Common antibiotics like gentamicin and fluoroquinolones are first-line treatment for plague, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024

But a Henry Ford Health System study found that cleaning catheters with an antibiotic combination of gentamicin and citrate, instead of heparin, lowered mortality rates a whopping 68 percent. — Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 22 Jan. 2015

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

gentamicin

noun

gen·​ta·​mi·​cin ˌjent-ə-ˈmīs-ᵊn 

: a broad-spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic mixture that is derived from two actinomycetes of the genus Micromonospora (M. purpurea and M. echinospora) and is extensively used in the form of the sulfate in treating infections especially of the urinary tract