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

The bill would require insurers to cover routine mammograms at no cost for women aged 30 and up. — Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

Annual skin examinations may be warranted for all people working on high-altitude flights, and women in those jobs may want to get mammograms earlier or more frequently, Olsen and Karipidis wrote. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

The Affordable Care Act mandates that most insurance companies cover annual screening mammograms for those 40 and older. — Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026

The American Cancer Society (ACS) says some women at high risk should receive both a mammogram and breast MRI every year, typically beginning around age 30, depending on their individual risk factors. — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 17 Aug. 2026

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