Definition of "beta-lactam" []

• A lactam having a four-membered ring structure; a structural element of many antibiotics such as penicillin. (noun)

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• "Collectively, they are called beta-lactam antibiotics and are the most commonly prescribed drugs in medicine."
• "What all of these have in common is a four-cornered arrangement of atoms at the center of the drug molecule, called the beta-lactam ring."
• "He diagnosed mastitis and possibly shingles, and he prescribed painkillers, an antiviral, and cephalexin, a beta-lactam cephalosporin."