Meaning

noun any chemical agent that destroys bacteria

noun any drug that destroys bacteria or inhibits their growth

originEtymology tree Ancient Greek βακτηρία (baktēría) Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Ancient Greek -ῐος (-ĭos)? Ancient Greek -ιον (-ion) Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion)bor. New Latin bactēriumbor. English bacterium Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd-der. Proto-Italic *kaidō Latin caedō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂ Proto-Italic *-ā Latin -a Latin -cīdader. Middle French -cidebor.…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0