The term that signifies "clumping" in a medical context is?

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Study for the Rutgers Medical Terminology Exam, featuring multiple choice questions and detailed explanations to boost your understanding. Prepare confidently to ace your exam!

The term that signifies "clumping" in a medical context is represented by "agglutin/o." This root word is derived from the Latin word "agglutinare," which means to glue together. In medicine, it is often used to describe the process of cells, particularly blood cells, adhering to each other, which can be a critical factor in understanding blood group compatibility, certain disease processes, and reactions during blood transfusions.

Agglutination is a vital phenomenon in immunology; for example, it is pertinent to blood typing, where the presence of specific antibodies causes red blood cells to clump together. Understanding this term is essential for medical professionals when discussing laboratory tests, autoimmune diseases, and certain infectious conditions where clumping of cells may occur.

The other terms listed refer to different concepts entirely: "aer/o" pertains to air or gas, "ablat/o" refers to tissue removal or destruction, and "albin/o" denotes a lack of pigmentation, typically relating to conditions like albinism. Each of these has distinct meanings that do not relate to the concept of clumping, making "agglutin/o" the appropriate choice in this context.

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