adhesion
n. C / Un. the way two things stick together. In medicine, it also means parts of the body sticking together when they should be separate, often after a surgery.
n. the property of sticking to a surface or object; in a medical context, the abnormal union of membranous surfaces due to inflammation or injury.
The doctor checked for any adhesion after the surgery.
The surgeon explained that the patient's chronic pain was caused by an internal adhesion following a previous abdominal operation.
While surface adhesion is essential for the effectiveness of medical bandages, internal adhesions can lead to significant complications by binding organs together and restricting their natural movement.
From French adhésion, from Latin stem of adhaesio, from past participle of adhaerare.
Uncountable when referring to the general physical property of sticking; countable when referring to specific instances of abnormal tissue growth.