cef·ti·bu·ten (s?f-t??byo?o-tn)n. A broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic, C15H14N4O6S2, used primarily to treat ear and respiratory infections.[cef(a)- + t(h)i(azole) + buten(e).]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.