VANCOMYCIN

noun Etymology: vanco- (of unknown origin) + -mycin Date: circa 1956 an antibiotic C 66 H 75 Cl 2 N 9 O 24 derived from an actinomycete ( Amycolatopsis orientalis syn. Streptomyces orientalis ) that is effective against gram-positive bacteria and is used chiefly in the form of its hydrochloride especially against staphylococci resistant to methicillin