Meanings
- uncountablemedicineAn aminoglycoside and bactericidal antibiotic C₂₁H₃₉N₇O₁₂ that is produced by a soil actinomycete (Streptomyces griseus), is active against many bacteria, and is administered via intramuscular injection especially in the treatment of infections by gram-negative bacteria. It was the first drug to be successful against tuberculosis but is now chiefly used with other drugs because of its toxic side effects.
In brief, Le Chiffre plans, we believe, to follow the example of most other desperate till-robbers and make good the deficit in his accounts by gambling. The 'Bourse' is too slow. So are the various illicit traffics in drugs, or rare medicines, such as aureo- and streptomycin and cortisone.
1953, Ian Fleming, “Dossier for M”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 17
Origin
From translingual Streptomyces + -in. By surface analysis, strepto- + -mycin.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Spanish estreptomicina
- estreptomicinaTranslations
Cite this entry
streptomycin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/streptomycin
“streptomycin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/streptomycin. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “streptomycin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/streptomycin.
Source: streptomycin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.