Main Entry: co·ag·u·la·tion

Pronunciation: \kō-ˌag-yə-ˈlā-shən\

Function: noun

1 a : a change to a viscous, jellylike, or solid state ; especially : a change from a liquid to a thickened curdlike state not by evaporation but by chemical reaction <the spontaneous coagulation of freshly drawn blood> <the coagulation of milk by rennin> b : the process by which such change of state takes place consisting of the alteration of a soluble substance (as a protein) into an insoluble form or of the flocculation or separation of colloidal or suspended matter
2 : a substance or body formed by coagulation : coagulum
3 : disruption of tissue by physical means (as by application of an electric current) so that denaturation and clumping of protein occur <diathermic coagulation of tissues during surgery to seal bleeding blood vessels>—see electrocoagulation, photocoagulation