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''bacteriostatic'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260606151242-00-⌔
bacteriostatic - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Adjective
bacteriostatic (comparative more bacteriostatic, superlative most bacteriostatic)
- Of or relating to bacteriostasis or a bacteriostat; inhibiting the growth of bacteria without destroying them.
- ✤ Coordinate terms: bactericidal, bacteriocidal
- ✤ All these compounds were bacteriostatic, affecting the bacterial metabolism and preventing its multiplication in the host, thereby permitting natural body defences to succeed against the invader.1
Noun
bacteriostatic (plural bacteriostatics)
- An agent (drug or other substance) that is bacteriostatic.
- ✤ Hypernym: microbiostatic
- ✤ Coordinate terms: bactericide, bacteriocide (killer versus inhibitor), fungistatic, mycostatic (fungi versus bacteria)
Etymology
From bacterio- + -static.
Printed 2026-06-28.
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Link to original Footnotes
1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 438: ↩
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