Adjacent Words

anticoagulant definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: medicine that prevents or retards the clotting of blood [syn: anticoagulant, anticoagulant medication, decoagulant]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: circa 1905 a substance that hinders the clotting of blood ; blood thinner • anticoagulant adjective

Britannica Concise

Substance that prevents blood from clotting by suppressing the synthesis or function of various clotting factors (see coagulation). Anticoagulants are given to prevent thrombosis and used in drawing and storing blood. There are two main types of anticoagulants: heparin and vitamin K antagonists (e.g., warfarin). The latter have longer-lasting effects, interfering in the liver's metabolism of vitamin K, to cause production of defective clotting factors. Anticoagulant therapy carries a high risk of uncontrollable hemorrhage.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. any drug or agent that retards or inhibits coagulation, esp. of the blood. --adj. retarding or inhibiting coagulation.