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antibiotic

an-tie-by-OT-ik · noun

FrenchEnglish

Origin

English borrowed this word from French antibiotique. Its pieces break down plainly as anti- (against) plus -biotic (relating to life).

Journey

The facts at hand don't show a shift in meaning beyond this straightforward borrowing from French into English.

Related words

The -biotic piece links it in spirit to other -biotic words, though no specific cognate is given in the record beyond that shared ending.

More words

From French

Nearby, A–Z

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