colicin

noun

co·​li·​cin ˈkō-lə-sən 

variants or less commonly colicine

ˈkō-lə-ˌsēn 

: any of various antibacterial substances produced by strains of intestinal bacteria (as of E. coli)

Word History

Etymology

French colicine, from col- + -cine (as in streptomycine streptomycin)

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

colicin

noun

co·​li·​cin ˈkō-lə-sən 

variants also colicine

-ˌsēn 

: any of various antibacterial proteins that are produced by some strains of intestinal bacteria (as E. coli) having a specific plasmid and that often act to inhibit macromolecular synthesis in related strains