X RAY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does X ray mean? 

• X RAY (noun)
  The noun X RAY has 2 senses:

1. electromagnetic radiation of short wavelength produced when high-speed electrons strike a solid target

2. a radiogram made by exposing photographic film to X rays; used in medical diagnosis

  Familiarity information: X RAY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• X RAY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Electromagnetic radiation of short wavelength produced when high-speed electrons strike a solid target

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

roentgen ray; X-radiation; X-ray; X ray

Hypernyms ("X ray" is a kind of...):

ionizing radiation (high-energy radiation capable of producing ionization in substances through which it passes)

electromagnetic radiation; electromagnetic wave; nonparticulate radiation (radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A radiogram made by exposing photographic film to X rays; used in medical diagnosis

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

roentgenogram; X-ray; X-ray photograph; X-ray picture; X ray

Hypernyms ("X ray" is a kind of...):

radiogram; radiograph; shadowgraph; skiagram; skiagraph (a photographic image produced on a radiosensitive surface by radiation other than visible light (especially by X-rays or gamma rays))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "X ray"):

angiocardiogram (a series of X rays representing the action of the heart and its blood vessels after the injection of a radiopaque substance)

angiogram (an X-ray representation of blood vessels made after the injection of a radiopaque substance)

arteriogram (an X ray of an artery filled with a contrast medium)

arthrogram (an X ray of a joint after the injection of a contrast medium)

encephalogram; pneumoencephalogram (an X ray of the brain made by replacing spinal fluid with a gas (usually oxygen) to improve contrast)

hysterosalpingogram (X ray of the uterus and Fallopian tubes; usually done in diagnosing infertility (to see if there any blockages))

mammogram (X-ray film of the soft tissue of the breast)

myelogram (X-ray film of the spinal cord and spinal nerve roots and subarachnoid space)

pyelogram (an X ray of the kidneys and ureters)

phlebogram; venogram (an X ray of a vein injected with a radiopaque contrast medium)

 Context examples 

Its detection in bronchial lavage specimens was shown to predict predicts the presence of a neoplasm with 96% sensitivity and 82% specificity earlier than routine chest X rays or sputum cytology.

(Monoclonal Antibody 703D4, NCI Thesaurus)

A method of examining structures within the body by scanning them with X rays and using a computer to construct a series of cross-sectional scans along a single axis.

(Computed Tomography, NCI Thesaurus)