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

Screening mammograms are recommended for women every other year starting at age 40, unless the patient meets certain other criteria. —Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025

Women will now be notified about breast density after mammograms. —Lindsey Leake, Fortune Well, 14 Jan. 2025

Dani Yuengling needed a breast biopsy after a concerning mammogram. —Elisabeth Rosenthal, NPR, 20 Dec. 2024

In spring 2024, a WTA doctor advised her to undergo a mammogram, before a biopsy confirmed the cancer diagnosis. —James Hansen, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 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