mammogram

noun

mam·​mo·​gram ˈma-mə-ˌgram 

: a photograph of the breasts made by X-rays

also : the procedure for producing a mammogram

Examples of mammogram in a Sentence

She went to the hospital for her yearly mammogram.

Recent Examples on the Web

In a mammogram, fatty tissue shows up as black on the image, while fibroglandular tissue lights up as white. —Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2024

In other words, dense breast tissue can hide cancer on a mammogram since the tissue appears white on a mammogram, in the same way lumps and tumors appear. —Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 9 Sep. 2024

Getting a false positive on a mammogram — especially if it's accompanied by a recommendation for follow-up visits or a biopsy — could discourage patients from seeking future screening, according to a new study. —Tina Reed, Axios, 4 Sep. 2024

None of the women had even heard of mammograms or HPV vaccinations. —Flow Space, 26 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin mamma "breast" + -o- + -gram — more at mamma entry 1

Note: The terms mammogram and mammography were introduced by the American physician and surgeon Nymphus Frederick Hicken (1900-98) in "Mammography: roentgenologic diagnosis of breast tumors by means of contrast media," Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, vol. 64 (1937), pp. 593-603.

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

mammogram

noun

mam·​mo·​gram ˈmam-ə-ˌgram 

1

: a photograph of the breasts made by X-rays

2

: the procedure for producing a mammogram