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kan·a·my·cin

(kăn′ə-mīsĭn)

A broad-spectrum antibiotic, C₁₈H₃₆N₄O₁₁, obtained from the soil bacterium Streptomyces kanamyceticus and used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, usually in its sulfate form.

[New Latin kanamyc(ēticus), specific epithet (Japanese kana-, golden (from the color of its colonies), combining form of kane, gold (possibly of late Old Chinese origin and akin to Mandarin jīn, and Cantonese gam1, gold) + New Latin mycēticus, fungus, from -mycētēs; see -MYCETE) + -IN.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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