#aba

• aba - A thick, coarse woolen fabric, usually white or gray, processed in a fulling mill. In Balkan ethnomedicine and history of hygiene, this material was historically used for weather-resistant peasant clothing and as an elementary thermal insulator in traditional rural treatments (dry wraps to combat chills or rheumatism).
• abac - An ancient manual computing device consisting of a frame with rods along which beads slide. In modern medicine, neuropsychology, and occupational therapy, the abacus is utilized as a tactile therapeutic tool for the cognitive rehabilitation of stroke survivors, traumatic brain injury patients, or early-stage dementia patients, aiding in the recovery of fine motor skills and mathematical executive functions.
• abaca - A textile plant of the banana family (Musa textilis), cultivated in the Philippines, whose leaves yield a highly durable vegetable fiber (Manila hemp). In the field of medical and pharmaceutical materials, fine abaca fibers are utilized in moisture-resistant filtration layers, for manufacturing sterile medicinal tea bags, special laboratory filter papers, and certain biodegradable protective textiles.
• abacterian - A medical term used to describe an environment, biological sample (urine, cerebrospinal fluid), or inflammatory process where no bacteria are present. An abacterial inflammation (such as abacterial cystitis or prostatitis) produces symptoms similar to an infection but is triggered by chemical, immune, traumatic factors, or viruses, with laboratory microbial cultures remaining negative.
• abacteriemic - A medical term describing the state of an organism or circulating blood in which no viable bacteria are present. It is used clinically to confirm the absence of a systemic infection disseminated through the bloodstream or to describe the complete remission phase of a patient successfully treated for bacteremia, where repeated blood cultures turn negative.
• Abadan - A major city and port in southwestern Iran, located on the island of the same name in the Shatt al-Arab river delta. In occupational epidemiology, toxicology, and environmental medicine, the area is heavily studied globally due to the long-term impact of emissions from one of the world's largest oil refineries, analyzing the incidence of chronic respiratory conditions and oncological pathologies among petrochemical workers.
• abadesă - The superior of a Roman Catholic monastery of nuns (abbess). In the history of medicine and hospital care, abbesses played a vital role during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, managing monastic infirmaries, organizing care for the poor and sick, and overseeing the preparation of herbal remedies and ointments in monastic pharmacies.
• Abaeus - A Greek mythological epithet assigned to the god Apollo, derived from the town of Abae in Phocis, where the god had a famous temple and oracle. In the history of medicine and cultural anthropology, Abaeus is studied in connection with cathartic (purification) cults and healing rituals through incubation (sacred sleep in the temple to receive a diagnosis in a dream), specific to pre-Hippocratic theurgic medicine.
• abager - A craftsman who makes or sells aba (coarse woolen cloth) or garments made from aba. In the context of historical hygiene and ethnomedicine, the guilds of abageri regulated the quality and density of the fabric, ensuring the production of traditional garments that served as vital thermal barriers against illnesses caused by exposure to cold and dampness.
• abageresc - Pertaining to abageri (frieze-makers) or their trade; characteristic of coarse cloth manufacturing. In material culture and social anthropology studies, the term describes the techniques, workshops, and corporate standards of thick wool processing used in pre-industrial communities to produce traditional winter gear.
• abagerie - The workshop, shop, or trade of an abager (frieze-maker), where aba and thick woolen clothing were manufactured, processed, or sold. Historically and from a hygiene perspective, abagerii represented important urban centers for providing thermal protective clothing in past centuries, indirectly contributing to public health during cold seasons.
• abagiu - A historical regional term used as a synonym for abager; a person who manufactured, tailored, or sold clothes made of aba. In the history of Balkan communities, abagii formed a distinct professional category, often organized into powerful guilds that controlled local coarse wool trade routes and interacted with monastic healthcare systems for blanket supplies.
• abagiubă - An extremely rare, archaic, and regional feminine form derived from the historical guild environment, denoting either the wife of an abagiu (a coarse-wool clothier) or a woman who independently practiced domestic processing and local trading of aba fabric in rural markets.
• abai - A rare regional term used in certain western areas of Romania to designate a large piece of thick woolen fabric or a coarse frieze blanket. In empirical rural health practices, this material (the abai) was heated near a stove and applied to the thorax of patients with respiratory conditions or to painful joints for its analgesic and sweat-inducing effects.
• abajur - A device mounted on a light fixture designed to direct, diffuse, or filter the light from a lamp to protect the eyes from the bulb's direct glare. In medical ergonomics, occupational health, and ophthalmology, using an appropriate lampshade is essential to prevent accommodative asthenopia (eye strain), reduce screen reflections, and optimize visual comfort in treatment or office spaces.
• Abakan - The capital city of the Republic of Khakassia, Russian Federation, located in southern Siberia at the confluence of the Abakan and Yenisei rivers. In medical geography and infectious diseases, the region is actively monitored for natural foci of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and other arboviruses specific to the taiga, serving as a base for studies on indigenous population immunity and vector dynamics.
• abaldă - An extremely rare, archaic, and regional term attested in old northern Transylvanian glossaries, historically denoting a rudimentary wooden tool (a heavy pestle or crusher) used in peasant households or by local folk healers to pound and pulverize tree bark, fibrous roots, or animal fats intended for traditional ointments and empirical remedies.
• abaliena - An archaic medical and legal term meaning to alienate, transfer ownership of property, or, in a psychopathological sense, to cause the loss of mental faculties or sever a person's connection with reality. In 19th-century classical psychiatry, it was used to describe the process by which a patient lost sanity or became mentally alienated.
• abalienare - The act of alienating or the state resulting from it; mental alienation, derangement of the mind, or loss of cognitive psychological faculties. In Latin medical terminology and early neurology textbooks, 'abalienatio mentis' designated a global collapse of intellectual functions, serving as a conceptual predecessor to the modern terms dementia, psychosis, or severe psychic dissociation.
• abalienat - An archaic medical and legal term used to describe a person who has lost their mental faculties, sanity, or connection with reality; mentally alienated. In the context of historical forensic evaluations, being abalienated implied a lack of criminal responsibility and required the establishment of legal guardianship.