X-ray

Pronunciation

Origin

Transliteration of German X-Strahl, coined by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen upon his discovery of the rays in 1895, x signifying their unknown nature.

Full definition of X-ray

Noun

1. Short wavelength electromagnetic radiation usually produced by bombarding a metal target in a vacuum. Used to create images of the internal structure of objects; this is possible because X-rays pass through most objects and can expose photographic film.X-rays are light with a wavelength between 0.1 and 10 nm.
2. A radiograph: a photograph made with X-rays. "The doctor ordered some X-rays of my injured wrist."
• 2012, June 2, Phil McNulty, England 1-0 Belgium, And this friendly was not without its injury worries, with defender Gary Cahill substituted early on after a nasty, needless push by Dries Mertens that caused him to collide with goalkeeper Joe Hart, an incident that left the Chelsea defender requiring a precautionary X-ray at Wembley.
3. An X-ray machine.
4. The letter X in the ICAO spelling alphabet.

Synonyms

• (radiation) Röntgen radiation
  Rontgen radiation
  Roentgen radiation
• (radiation) Röntgen rays
  Rontgen rays
  Roentgen rays
• (radiation) X-ray radiation

Derived terms

• X-ray astronomy
• X-ray crystallography
• X-ray diffraction
• X-ray fish
• X-ray fluorescence
• X-ray microscope
• X-ray spectrometry
• X-ray telescope
• X-ray tetra
• X-ray tube
• soft X-ray
• hard X-ray

Related terms

• T-ray
• gamma ray

Verb

1. (transitive, informal) To take a radiograph of; to obtain an image of using X-ray radiation, especially for the purpose of medical diagnostic evaluation.Of course there was nothing wrong with my left wrist. They X-rayed the wrong arm!

Adjective

1. Of or having to do with X-rays.I had to put my bags through an X-ray scanner at the airport.