Standard Lemma guide

oxacillin

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɒk.səˈsɪl.ɪn/
  • General-American: /ˌɑk.səˈsɪl.ɪn/
  • rhymes with -ɪlɪn

1

noun

Meaning 1

A narrow-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotic made by chemical modification of penicillin and administered in the form of its hydrated sodium salt C19H18N3NaO5S·H2O to treat infections caused by penicillin-resistant staphylococci.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a form of penicillin resistant to penicillinase and effective against penicillin-resistant staphylococci

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: penicillinase-resistant antibiotic

History

Etymology

From (is)oxa(zole) + -cillin (“6-aminopenicillanic acid derivative”).