Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A photon of electromagnetic radiation of very short wavelength, ranging from about 10 down to 0.01 nanometers, and very high energy, ranging from about 100 up to 100,000 electron volts.
  • noun A narrow beam of such photons. X-rays are used for their penetrating power in radiography, radiology, radiotherapy, and scientific research.
  • noun A photograph taken with x-rays.
  • noun The act or process of taking such a photograph.
  • transitive verb To irradiate with x-rays.
  • transitive verb To photograph with x-rays.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative spelling of X-ray.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From translation of obsolete German X-Strahlen, x-rays (coined by their discoverer Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen ) : xx, unknown factor (since x-rays were a previously unknown form of radiation) + Strahlen, pl. of Strahle, ray.]

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