A medication that prevents blood clots from forming by interfering with the blood clotting process. Commonly called 'blood thinners,' though they don't actually thin the blood but rather slow its ability to clot.
From Latin 'anti' meaning against and 'coagulare' meaning to curdle or clot. The term reflects the drug's action of preventing the natural coagulation cascade that normally stops bleeding.
The name 'blood thinner' is actually misleading - anticoagulants don't make your blood thinner like water, they just make it less sticky! Your blood remains the same thickness, but the clotting factors that normally help form scabs and stop bleeding work much more slowly, which is why people on these medications bruise easily.
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