penamecillin

P3E1N1A1M3E1C3I1L1L1I1N1

noun

An acetoxymethyl ester of benzylpenicillin; a prodrug that is processed to benzylpenicillin by esterases.

OriginEnglish penicillin ← Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ← Latin ammoniacus →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nounpenamecillin (uncountable)
  1. uncountablemedicineAn acetoxymethyl ester of benzylpenicillin; a prodrug that is processed to benzylpenicillin by esterases.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*pes-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pes-ni-s
  3. Proto-Italic*peznis
  4. Latinpēnis
  5. Latinpēniculus
  6. Latinpēnicillum
  7. Englishpenicillin
  8. Latinlac
  9. Englishlacto-
  10. GermanKeton
  11. Englishketone
  12. Englishlac(tone)
  13. Egyptianjmn
  14. Ancient GreekᾸ̓́μμων (Ắmmōn)
  15. LatinAmmōn
  16. Latinammoniacus
  17. Englishammonia
  18. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  19. Englisham(ide)
  20. Englishlactam
  21. Englishpenam
  22. Englishpenicillin
  23. Englishpenamecillin

From (redundant) penam + -cillin (“6-aminopenicillanic acid derivative”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

penamecillin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penamecillin

MLA

“penamecillin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penamecillin. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “penamecillin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penamecillin.

Source: penamecillin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.