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

For those with denser breast tissue, meaning the breast contains more glandular tissue instead of fatty tissue, detecting cancer with a mammogram can be more difficult. —Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 13 May 2025

While many insurance companies cover the cost of a mammogram, patients may be forced to delay follow-up tests — or skip them altogether — due to unexpected out-of-pocket costs. —Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 5 May 2025

Also still pending this year is a measure to memorialize Jan. 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day in Florida and a bill that would require the state insurance plan to cover supplemental examinations, such as an MRI or ultrasound, when mammograms indicate questionable findings. —Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2025

This includes cancer screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies, statins for heart disease, immunizations, counseling on health behaviors related to weight management, alcohol and drug use, prenatal testing and HIV prevention (preexposure prophylaxis) medications. —Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025

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

Rhymes for mammogram

• abraham
• anagram
• cablegram
• cofferdam
• dendrogram
• diagram
• diaphragm
• epigram
• hexagram
• histogram
• hologram
• instagram

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