GENTAMICIN

[gen.ta.mi.cin] n [alter. of earlier gentamycin, fr. gentian violet + kanamycin; fr. the color of the actinomycete] (1963): a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is derived from an actinomycete (Micromonospora purpurea or M. echinospora) and is extensively used as the sulfate in treating infections esp. of the urinary tract