X-rayn.adj.
/ˈɛksreɪ/, U.S. /ˈɛksˌreɪ/ A. n.
I. In plural form.
1. Physics. Electromagnetic radiation of high energy and very short wavelength (between about 0.01 and 10 nanometres), capable of passing through many substances opaque to light, and widely used in medical diagnosis and treatment and in many analytical techniques. Cf. Roentgen rays n.X-rays were formerly defined in terms of their wavelength, radiation of shorter wavelength than theirs being classed as gamma rays. They are now usually defined in terms of the mode of production: X-rays are produced by the deceleration of charged particles, esp. electrons, or by electron transitions in atoms, while gamma rays arise from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. Cf. gamma ray n. at gamma n. and adj. Compounds 2a.X-rays are noteworthy for the rapidity with which both the phenomenon and the name entered public consciousness. A figurative use of the word ( B. 1) arose in 1896, the same year as Röntgen's coinage, as did a verb with both a literal and a figurative use (X-ray v.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > X-rays > [noun]
Roentgen rays1896
X-ray1896
X-ray1896
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > [noun] > operation on skin
X-ray1896
dermabrasion1954
1896 A. Stanton tr. W. C. Röntgen in Nature 23 Jan. 274/1 A piece of sheet aluminium, 15 mm. thick..allowed the X-rays (as I will call the rays for the sake of brevity) to pass, but greatly reduced the fluorescence.
1896 Times 10 Mar. 12/2 It may well turn out that the X rays are not absolutely without some of the properties of light rays.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VI. 408 The application of the X rays to the diagnosis of internal aneurisms.
1930 J. Buckingham Matter & Radiation 31 The longest X-rays have the properties of the shortest ultra-violet rays and the longest Gamma-rays merge into the shortest X-rays.
1948 Sci. News 7 35 Procedure for the generation of x-rays..is to accelerate a beam of electrons to the required energy, and then stop it by allowing the electrons to hit a metal target.
1956 Nature 10 Mar. 452/1 Adult mice irradiated with an expectedly lethal dose of X-rays.
1971 D. W. Sciama Mod. Cosmol. ii. 31 The distinction between X- and γ-rays is a somewhat arbitrary one, but..we may take the dividing line to be an energy of 100 keV.
1990 M. Harris Hemingway's Suitcase xl. 283 If you looked into a house with x-rays, you would see everything radiating from the kitchen.
2006 Science 20 Oct. 411/1 Astrophysicists using NASA's Swift satellite have spotted the first signs of x-rays produced in the aftermath of a type 1a supernova.
II. In singular form.
2. Physics. X-rays, X-radiation (also the X-ray); a beam of X-rays.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > X-rays > [noun]
Roentgen rays1896
X-ray1896
X-ray1896
1896 N.Y. Med. Times Oct. 307/1 Like any other powerful agent the X-ray should only be used when it is hoped to obtain positive benefits.
1896 Amer. Practitioner & News 28 Nov. 424 The vogue of the Roentgen ray and the skiagraph continues... He has found, by means of the ‘X-ray’, the Japanese bullet he carries in his head.
1919 G. B. Shaw Heartbreak House i, in Heartbreak House, Great Catherine, & Playlets of War 39 I will discover a ray mightier than any X-ray: a mind ray that will explode the ammunition in the belt of my adversary.
1939 Science 26 May 486/2 Intracellular stages of rabbit Eimeria have been found to be susceptible to the x-ray.
1961 R. D. Baker Essent. Pathol. vii. 127 Heavy dosages of x-ray, especially to the upper abdomen, may lead to radiation sickness.
2008 Daily Tel. 16 Jan. 6/5 The LEXID works by emitting a low-level X-ray and then the lobster eye interprets what is returned.
3.
a. A photographic or digital image of the internal structure of something, especially a part of the body, produced by X-rays being passed through it and being absorbed to different degrees by different materials; an X-ray photograph or picture. Also figurative. Cf. radiograph n.1 2, X-radiograph n.X-ray images are used widely for medical diagnosis, especially for examining the chest and the skeletal system.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > diagnosis or prognosis > radiography or radiology > [noun] > an X-radiograph
X-radiograph1899
X-ray1900
society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > [noun] > by means of a computer > photographs or images obtained by X-ray, etc.
thermotype1877
phosphorograph1880
shadow-picture1889
inductoscript1892
radiogram1896
radiograph1896
roentgenogram1896
shadowgraph1896
shadow-photograph1896
skiagram1896
skiagraph1896
X-radiograph1899
X-ray1900
autoradiograph1903
vaporograph1903
vapourgraph1903
radiophotograph1904
roentgenograph1905
microradiogram1913
radiophoto1915
powder photograph1917
interferogram1921
radioautograph1941
microradiograph1944
topograph1944
heat map1947
cinefluorograph1949
scan1953
thermogram1957
thermograph1964
cineradiograph1965
stereoscan1968
Kirlian1970
autorad1985
1900 Dental Cosmos 42 235 In taking X rays of the teeth it was found impossible to conveniently cut glass sensitive plates to correctly fit the different parts of the mouth.
1918 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Jrnl.-Gaz. 13 Jan. 17/1 She had an X-ray taken of her ankle.
1942 M. Dickens One Pair of Feet viii. 164 Siddons was subjected to all the indignities and discomforts of gastric investigation... X-ray after X-ray was taken.
1986 D. Koontz Strangers i. ii. 58 She glanced at the patient's X ray that was fixed on the light screen... ‘A dissecting aneurysm, just above the aortic saddle’.
1991 United Press Internat. (Nexis) 7 June Banks..said he recognized the bombs he built when he saw X-rays of the devices on television.
2002 Church Times 26 Apr. 10/3 This, by itself, is an X-ray of the problem.
2007 Wall St. Jrnl. 18 Sept. d8/3 In 1944, a dark spot on the X-ray of his lung made him undraftable.
b. Examination of a person or an animal in which an X-ray photograph is taken, usually for the purposes of medical diagnosis; an instance of this. Also: a similar examination of an inanimate object, used to determine internal composition.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > diagnosis or prognosis > radiography or radiology > [noun] > an examination using
X-ray1901
1901 Boston Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 27 June 648/1 We advised that he have an x-ray.
1933 V. Brittain Test. of Youth viii. 409 Ten patients..were for immediate operation; a dozen more were for X-ray.
1942 M. Lowry Let. 26 May in Sursum Corda! (1995) I. 393 I gave the doctor my history, sparing nothing. He in turn spared nothing, blood tests, urinalysis, x-rays, all were made.
1960 ‘R. Gordon’ Doctor in Clover vi. 47 I popped her in a taxi and drove her round to the casualty entrance at St Swithin's, where Miles organised X-rays.
1996 Independent 16 July ii. 8/1 Five years later I had a myelogram, an X-ray of the spinal cord in which dye is injected into the spinal column to show up soft tissue.
2007 L. G. Patten Rondine Solution vi. 50 ‘I went out to one of the plants and did an x-ray of some of the welds on my own.’ ‘Without anyone knowing?’ ‘Yes, I took a portable x-ray unit with me.’
c. The X-ray department in a hospital.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > places for the sick or injured > [noun] > hospital or infirmary > hospital department > specific department
ambulatorium1834
emergency room1886
emergency department1889
recovery room1894
accident and emergency1898
outpatients1910
X-ray1916
casualty1927
abortorium1933
out1933
ER1955
A and E1966
emerg1978
1916 Boston Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 23 Nov. 765/1 The first patient had distinct hyperthyroidism and was sent to x-ray for treatment.
1955 ‘R. Gordon’ Doctor at Large xiv. 143 Apart from the nurses, there were the buxom dieticians, the cheerful girls in X-ray, the neat secretaries, [etc.].
1974 ‘H. Carmichael’ Motive x. 116 Dr Egan had gone to X-ray but would be back soon.
2004 Daily Tel. 1 Sept. 16/2 One day I was taken down to X-ray, my electrically motivated, air-mattressed bed disconnected from the power supply.
B. adj. (attributive).
1. Designating very acute discernment, or an apparent ability to see beyond an outward form or through opaque material. Esp. in X-ray eyes, X-ray scrutiny, X-ray vision.
ΘΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > [noun] > clarity
knowledgea1398
perspiciencec1450
clearness1535
perspicacity1548
insightc1580
perspective?a1586
subtileness1591
perspicacy1600
clarity1616
quicksightedness1625
perspicuity1662
clear-sightednessa1691
perspicaciousness1727
percipiency1845
far-sightedness1846
clairvoyance1861
X-ray scrutiny1896
1896 St. Louis Clinique May 223/2 We should perhaps set it down to the X Ray power of the secular press reporter who can see through the ‘closed doors’ of any medical society.
1899 G. Allen Miss Cayley's Adventures ii. 45 She looked me through and through again with her X-ray scrutiny.
1899 Coming Age Nov. 449 (heading) X-ray vision, or supernormal sight.
1939 M. Allingham Mr. Campion & Others ii. 36 The conviction that he had actually encountered a man with X-ray eyes at last.
1976 J. Wainwright Who goes Next? 205 He didn't have X-ray eyes. He couldn't see through the sides of a parked van.
1986 ARTnews Sept. 125/2 Kardon does not merely paint the two-dimensional surface of the body. Rather, with X-ray perception, he paints the three-dimensional surface.
1992 E. Goudge Such Devoted Sisters Prol. 3 She saw the letter as clearly as if she'd had Superman's X-ray vision.
2002 Mail on Sunday (Nexis) 7 Apr. 10 A Customs & Excise working party has been subjecting one very important aspect of our trade figures to X-ray scrutiny.
2. Designating drawing and painting (esp. Australian Aboriginal art) in which internal as well as external parts of the subject are shown; of or relating to such art.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > painting > qualities or styles of painting > [adjective] > other qualities or styles
plangent1666
dry1695
sticky1753
flat1755
spotty1798
touchy1809
definitive1815
edgy1825
painty1827
scratchy1827
unideal1838
tinglish1855
generalist1858
tinny1877
Christmas-cardy1883
tinty1883
surfacy1887
chocolate box1892
chocolate-boxy1894
Christmas card1895
juicy1897
candy box1898
pastose1901
busy1909
pompier1914
posterish1914
painterly1932
X-ray1940
illusional1942
all-over1948
figurative1960
hard-edge1961
1940 L. Adam Primitive Art xiv. 119 Characteristic of the northern territory are the so-called ‘X-ray’ drawings—a special variety of naturalistic art..whereby the artist, when drawing human beings and animals, represents the inner parts of the body.
1956 C. P. Mountford Rec. Amer.-Austral. Sci. Exped. Arnhem Land I. iii. 112 Nor do the subjects of the X-ray artists show any movement. It is essentially a static art.
1959 E. A. Fisher Introd. Anglo-Saxon Archit. 88 Still earlier in really primitive art, and among some primitive races today, the same idea of showing the inside, the backbone, ribs and internal organs..is found, e.g. in the so-called X-ray drawings of some of the natives of the Melanesian area of the Pacific.
1977 G. Clark World Prehist. (ed. 3) xi. 479 The X-ray figures of Arnhem Land..may well reflect exotic influences.
2002 Amer. Anthropologist 104 664/2 There are no examples of ‘x-ray’ drawings in which artists draw multiple images without linear boundaries.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive, as X-ray examination, X-ray film, X-ray image, X-ray machine, X-ray picture, etc.
Π
1896 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 22 Feb. 510/2 In the British Medical Journal of February 15th there is a description of apparatus for obtaining x ray shadowgrams.
1896 Cycl. Rev. Current Hist. (U.S.) 6 467 Professor John S. McKay..has obtained interesting pictures, which he calls ‘magnetographs’, resembling X-ray prints in being silhouettes of objects excluded from light.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VI. 408 Aneurysms of the thoracic aorta can sometimes be detected earlier by X ray examination.
1907 Westm. Gaz. 21 Sept. 8/3 Another X-ray photograph..of a girl's wrist and hand, showing the thickening of the bone.
1933 R. M. LeComte Man. Urol. i. 38 This is done by filling the urethra with a radiopaque solution and taking an x-ray film.
1938 Amer. Home Jan. 60/4 By examining the painting with the aid of an x-ray machine he is further able to discover very valuable information.
1975 Wall St. Jrnl. 10 Dec. 1 The machine, known as a CAT scanner, produces in minutes an X-ray picture revealing the deadly tumor that had escaped her physicians' notice.
1998 C. Mims When we Die (1999) xi. 235 X-ray examination of mummies gives information about age..and the presence of diseases.
2009 Nature 30 Apr. 1119/2 (heading) The sharpest X-ray image ever obtained of a portion of the Milky Way resolves a seemingly diffuse X-ray emission into discrete sources.
b. In the names of instruments or techniques that use or involve X-rays; also in derived adjectives.
X-ray analysis n.
Π
1898 Nation 24 Feb. 148/3 In the last (January) number of Wiedemann's Annalen, Röntgen's entire work as discoverer and promoter of the X-ray analysis is given in his own words.
1980 P. Luger Mod. X-ray Anal. vi. 288 The method which has been used from the earliest days of X-ray analysis is the drawing of contours obtained from the electron density map.
2001 Kenyon Rev. & Stand Spring 245 Crowfoot was soon head-hunted back to Oxford, where she settled down to her life's work on the X-ray analysis of crystalline structures.
X-ray microscope n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > optical instruments > magnification or magnifying instruments > [noun] > microscope
glass1646
microscope1648
engyscope1685
engyscope1832
X-ray microscope1948
1948 Jrnl. Optical Soc. Amer. 38 774/1 It is clear that an x-ray microscope is now a definite possibility.
2009 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 3 May li. 1 The $912 million National Synchrotron Light Source II..will be the world's most powerful X-ray microscope.
X-ray microscopy n.
ΘΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > optical skills and techniques > [noun] > use of instruments
microscopy1665
telescopy1802
photometry1807
stereoscopy1861
polariscopy1872
ultramicroscopy1906
pseudoscopy1910
fluorescence microscopy1932
stroboscopy1932
electron microscopy1934
phase microscopy1946
X-ray microscopy1948
strioscopy1967
stereoviewing1968
transmission electron microscopy1968
photopolarimetry1974
STM1982
1948 Jrnl. Optical Soc. Amer. 38 766/1 A satisfactory x-ray microscopy would open up fields of investigation closed to the optical microscope because of its limited resolution.
2004 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101 17556 (caption) X-ray microscopy images of xylem cells with darker shades indicating greater x-ray absorbance and lignin abundance.
X-ray spectrograph n.
Π
1914 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 188 93 A new X-ray spectrograph.
1933 Pop. Sci. Monthly Nov. 14/1 In the next room, an associate was using an X-ray spectrograph. Beams of X-rays, deflected by the crystals of a metal, were printing dots..upon sensitive photographic plates.
2003 Jrnl. Physics & Chem. Solids 64 2481/2 The spectra have been studied with the X-ray spectrograph DRS-2.
X-ray spectrometer n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > decomposition of light, spectrum > study of spectra > [noun] > instrument used in
spectroscope1861
spectrometer1874
spectrophotometer1881
spectrograph1884
integrating spectroscope1898
X-ray spectrometer1914
milliprobe1963
1914 W. H. Bragg & W. L. Bragg in Proc. Royal Soc. 1913–14 A. 89 285 By means of a Laue photograph, to be described later, it was possible to determine the orientation of its axes and so to mount it in the X-ray spectrometer as to give reflection from the (110) or the (100) planes as desired.
1977 A. Hallam Planet Earth 18/1 The X-ray spectrometer mapped aluminium:silicon ratios and delineated the extent of the aluminous highlands.
2008 Industr. & Engin. Chem. Res. 47 7618/2 The chemical composition of fresh red mud was measured by fluorescence X-ray using a sequential X-ray spectrometer.
X-ray spectroscopic adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > decomposition of light, spectrum > study of spectra > [adjective] > performed by means of
spectroscopic1864
spectroscopical1870
X-ray spectroscopic1918
1918 Physical Rev. 12 431 Lately..the fluorescent screen has been employed to reduce the lengthy exposures of such x-ray spectroscopic investigations that are dependent on the photographic plate for record.
2010 Appl. Materials & Interfaces 2 2046 The influences of Ag or Au incorporation into the 1D-TiO2 nanofibers were studied using various microscopic and X-ray spectroscopic methods.
X-ray spectroscopy n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > decomposition of light, spectrum > study of spectra > types of spectrometry or spectroscopy > [noun]
X-ray spectroscopy1916
1916 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 38 218 Unknown elements which do not correspond to atomic numbers as determined by Moseley's work on the X-ray spectroscopy of the elements.
1966 J. G. Brown X-Rays & their Applic. vii. 124 The methods of X-ray spectroscopy which depend on crystal diffraction are essentially methods of measuring the Bragg angle.
2003 Connecting Quarks with Cosmos (U.S. National Res. Council: Div. Engin. & Phys. Sci.) vii. 168 Constellation-X is a sensitive, high-resolution x-ray spectroscopy mission.
X-ray telescope n.
Π
1920 J. L. Williams Witness of Sun ii. 23 But a few months ago they put up that skyscraper that has it on us by three or four stories; and now we can't see each other until the doc invents his X-ray telescope.
1963 Daily Tel. 6 June 21/4 The X-ray telescope has to be raised above the earth's atmosphere and a technique found for focusing X-rays.
2001 P. Murdin in P. Moore 2002 Yearbk. Astron. ii. 143 We would not be able to view the effects directly because X-ray telescopes do not work as well as optical telescopes in showing sharp pictures.
C2.
a. Designating celestial objects that emit radiation in the form of X-rays (cf. X-ray astronomy n. at Compounds 2b).
X-ray binary n. Astronomy a celestial emitter of X-rays that has two components, with matter passing from one component (the donor) to the other (the accretor) giving rise to the emission of X-rays from the latter.The accretor is typically a black hole, a neutron star, or a white dwarf, and the donor an ordinary (non-degenerate) star.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > radio source > [noun]
radio star1949
X-ray star1964
QSS1965
X-ray nova1968
interpulse1969
X-ray pulsar1969
X-ray binary1972
1972 New Scientist 1 June 491/1 Since about 30 per cent or more of all early-type stars (the more recently formed ones) are members of a binary system, it seems reasonable that the X-ray binary emission process may play a part in the latter life of many stars.
1993 Sci. Amer. Nov. 38/2 Most young x-ray binaries, such as Centaurus X-3, contain a bright blue star having 10 to 40 times the mass of the sun.
2000 Denver Post 10 Sept. a37/1 Called low-mass X-ray binaries, about 100 such systems are known in the galaxy.
X-ray burster n. Astronomy a cosmic source of intermittent, short-lived, powerful bursts of X-rays typically lasting about a second, generally attributed to an X-ray binary.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > radio source > [noun] > X-ray burster
burster1976
X-ray burster1976
1976 Nature 17 June 542/1 This object..is perhaps the most enigmatic ‘X-ray burster’ found to date.
1993 N.Y. Times 7 Sept. c6/2 The scientists said the binary star..was an X-ray burster, an unusual type of double star.
2004 Science 23 Apr. 540/1 The recent discovery of thermal radiation from quiescent x-ray bursters (involving neutron stars in binaries) in globular clusters is particularly exciting.
X-ray nova n. Astronomy a celestial object that is a very strong but transient emitter of X-rays, typically a binary system with either a neutron star or a black hole as the receptor (rather than a white dwarf as in an ordinary nova).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > radio source > [noun]
radio star1949
X-ray star1964
QSS1965
X-ray nova1968
interpulse1969
X-ray pulsar1969
X-ray binary1972
1968 Sci. News 93 168/1 It is believed to be the first observation of an X-ray nova.
1992 Astron. Now July 27/3 Other similar candidates include LMC X-3, in the Large Magellanic Cloud..and the binary X-ray nova A0620-00 in the constellation of Monoceros.
2000 J. C. Wheeler Cosmic Catastrophes x. 207 This high-energy radiation is seen near the peak of the outburst of many of the black hole X-ray novae.
2006 J. E. McClintock & R. E. Remillard in W. H. G. Lewin & M. van der Klis Compact Stellar X-ray Sources iv. 194 Most X-ray novae..have been observed to erupt only once.
X-ray pulsar n. Astronomy a receptor in an X-ray binary that is a pulsar.The receptor is a magnetic neutron star, and gas flowing into it from the companion star gains enough energy to produce X-rays from the magnetic poles of the neutron star.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > radio source > [noun]
radio star1949
X-ray star1964
QSS1965
X-ray nova1968
interpulse1969
X-ray pulsar1969
X-ray binary1972
1969 G. Fritz et al. in Science 9 May 709/1 We wish to report the discovery of an x-ray pulsar in the general direction of the Crab Nebula.
1978 J. M. Pasachoff & M. L. Kutner University Astron. xi. 315 (caption) The x-ray pulsar SMC X-1 in the Small Magellanic Cloud has a period of 0·716 sec.
2010 Space Daily (Nexis) 20 Aug. Astronomers using NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) have found the first fast X-ray pulsar to be eclipsed by its companion star.
X-ray star n. Astronomy any compact celestial emitter of X-rays (not necessarily a star), such as an X-ray binary or an X-ray pulsar.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > radio source > [noun]
radio star1949
X-ray star1964
QSS1965
X-ray nova1968
interpulse1969
X-ray pulsar1969
X-ray binary1972
1964 Daily Tel. 31 Mar. 17/1 Evidence of the existence of a previously unknown kind of star has been collected by American astronomers. Using an Aerobee rocket..they found two distinct ‘X-ray stars’.
1977 Sci. Amer. Oct. 42/2 X-ray stars are dense remnants of stars that have exhausted their supply of nuclear energy and have collapsed under the attractive force of their own gravity.
2000 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 144 340 An astonishingly bright X-ray star in the southern sky..came to be called Sco X-1, the first of the thousands of extra-solar X-ray sources subsequently discovered.
b.
X-ray astronomer n. an expert or specialist in X-ray astronomy.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > cosmology > astronomy > [noun] > X-ray astronomy > person
X-ray astronomer1966
1966 Press-Telegram (Long Beach, Calif.) 21 Apr. b6/5 Demands for experiment-room aboard the four OAOs [= Orbiting Astronomical Observatories] have so greatly exceeded space available that even the world's No. 1 X-ray astronomer, Herbert Friedman..was left standing in a line that stretches all the way into the 1970s.
2000 J. C. Wheeler Cosmic Catastrophes viii. 151 X-ray astronomers see several accreting neutron stars in the Galaxy that are labeled as X-ray transients.
X-ray astronomy n. the branch of astronomy concerned with the X-ray emissions of celestial objects.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > cosmology > astronomy > [noun] > X-ray astronomy
X-ray astronomy1959
1959 New Scientist 21 May 1117/1 We can begin to develop ultra-violet astronomy, X-ray astronomy and so on.
1970 Sci. Jrnl. May 17/4 It is some years since the accidental discovery of the X-ray source Sco X-1 ushered in the new field of X-ray astronomy.
2002 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 360 2092 The under-acknowledged role of X-ray astronomy in defining the cosmological world model to which we have been led.
X-ray burst n. a sudden short-lived increase in the X-ray flux from a source; (Astronomy) one from an X-ray burster.
ΚΠ
1947 U.S. Patent 2,418,523 4 Upon initiation of an X-ray burst from source 10, the shadow of object 11..is projected upon the adjacent wall of each of the individual cloud chambers.
1958 Science 26 Dec. 1601/3 Balloon-borne instruments..detected two groups of strong x-ray bursts during the [auroral] storm.
1991 J. van Paradijs in J. Ventura & D. Pines Neutron Stars iii. 256 The radiation observed during an X-ray burst originates directly from the surface of the neutron star.
2010 E. Gregersen Inner Solar Syst. ii. 55/1 Hinotori obtained the first measurements of a super-thermal (30 million–40 million K) cloud produced by solar flares, which is the source of the soft X-ray burst accompanying all solar flares.
X-ray crystallographer n. an expert in or practitioner of X-ray crystallography.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > [noun] > analytical techniques > X-ray diffraction > one who studies
X-ray crystallographer1930
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > X-rays > study of crystals by X-rays > [noun] > person practising
X-ray crystallographer1930
1930 R. W. James X-ray Crystallogr. iii. 41 For the X-ray crystallographer, the Bravais unit becomes a group of atoms in the unit cell.
1966 R. Webster Pract. Gemmol. (ed. 4) ii. 15 In modern times the X-ray crystallographer has been able to reveal the essentially simple structure of such a mineral.
2000 Sci. News 11 Nov. 310/2 A more orderly crystal would enable X-ray crystallographers to probe a compound's structure with unprecedented precision.
X-ray crystallography n. the study of crystalline materials and their atomic structure by the interpretation of patterns obtained by X-ray diffraction techniques.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > [noun] > analytical techniques > X-ray diffraction
X-ray diffraction1914
X-ray crystallography1920
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > X-rays > study of crystals by X-rays > [noun]
X-ray crystallography1920
Bragg1940
1920 H. B. Lemon in P. Klapper College Teaching vi. 140 In optics, likewise, there is ample material of great importance: physical, geometrical optics, spectroscopy, photography, X-ray crystallography, etc.
1968 M. Pyke Food & Society vii. 101 A few milligrams of vitamin B12 had been isolated and the nature of its complex molecule established by a combination of advanced organic chemistry and X-ray crystallography.
2004 New Scientist 29 May 17/4 They then separated out and purified the pigments, and identified their structure using X-ray crystallography.
X-ray dermatitis n. Medicine radiation dermatitis caused by overexposure to X-rays.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of visible parts > skin disorders > [noun] > other diseases or conditions
impetigo1398
deadingc1400
St Anthonyc1405
foulness1559
acrochordon1565
foulness1583
heat1597
bleach1601
Anthony's fire1609
desquamation1726
sivvens1762
erythema1778
rupia1813
morula1817
dermalgia1842
mycosis1846
cheloid1854
keloid1854
morule1857
kelis1864
dermatosis1866
epithelioma1872
vagabond's disease1876
vagabond's skin1876
dermatitis1877
erysipeloid1888
Ritter's disease1888
acanthosis nigricans1890
angiokeratoma1891
sunburn1891
porokeratosis1893
acrodermatitis1894
epidermolysis1894
keratolysis1895
dermographism1896
neurodermatitis1896
peau d'orange1896
X-ray dermatitis1897
dermatomyositis1899
papulo-erythema1899
pyodermia1899
tar acne1899
dermographia1900
radiodermatitis1903
poikiloderma1907
neurodermatosis1909
leishmanoid1922
razor burn1924
pyoderma1930
photodermatosis1931
photodermatitis1933
necrobiosis lipoidica1934
pyoderma gangrenosum1936
fassy1943
acrodermatitis enteropathica1945
chicken skin1946
nylon stocking dermatitis1947
Sézary('s) syndrome1953
pigskin1966
washerwoman's skin1981
strimmer rash1984
1897 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 2 Jan. 37/1 An analogous condition is present in determining liability to sunburn, with which x ray dermatitis has often been compared.
1939 W. R. Inge Pacifist in Trouble 250 His list does not include those who have died of blood-poisoning after performing operations, nor the victims of X-ray dermatitis.
2003 A. Barcroft & A. Myskja Aloe Vera 267 The results achieved in this case had encouraged them to use aloe vera on a few cases of x-ray dermatitis.
X-ray diffraction n. Physics the diffraction of X-rays by the regularly spaced atoms of a crystalline material, esp. as a technique of X-ray crystallography.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > [noun] > analytical techniques > X-ray diffraction
X-ray diffraction1914
X-ray crystallography1920
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > X-rays > study of crystals by X-rays > [noun] > diffraction by crystal atoms
Reststrahlen1898
X-ray diffraction1914
Reststrahl1937
1914 W. L. Bragg in Proc. Royal Soc. 1913–14 A. 89 468 In a former communication to the Royal Society, an attempt was made to determine for certain crystals the exact nature of the diffracting system which produces the Laue X-ray diffraction photographs.
1969 Times 28 Jan. 6/6 X-ray diffraction techniques..show that the orientation of the graphite crystals in the fibre depends on the degree to which it is stretched during the heat treatment.
1982 R. M. Schultz in T. M. Devlin Textbk. Biochem. ii. 73 The most important of the techniques for the study of a protein's secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure is x-ray diffraction.
2005 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 28 Apr. 19/3 A year of sophisticated archaeological and geological analysis..included core sampling and electron spectrometry and X-ray diffraction.
X-ray diffractometer n. Physics a device which measures the diffraction of X-rays, used esp. in X-ray crystallography.
ΚΠ
1954 Philips Techn. Rev. 16 123 The new instrument, which from now on will be termed an X-ray diffractometer..comprises..a basic diffraction unit..a Geiger counter goniometer, and an electronic circuit panel with automatic recorder.
1981 J. McPhee Basin & Range 28 With the X-ray diffractometer..geologists obtained ever closer examination of the components of rock.
2009 APT Bull. 40 43/3 X-ray diffractometers, which identify mineralogical components.
X-ray fish n. (a) any of several fishes having translucent skin and muscle through which the spine or other internal organs are visible; esp. a small tetra, Pristella maxillaris (family Characidae), native to coastal rivers in tropical South America and popular as an aquarium fish; (b) a depiction of a fish in the ‘x-ray’ style (see B. 2).
Π
1924 Punch 9 Apr. 396/2 And fish that, floating on the tide Transparent show their whole inside; Not ray-fish these, but, should you wish, They might be termed the X-ray fish.
1925 E. G. Boulenger Aquarium Bk. ii. ii. 178 The X-Ray Fish, Tetragonopterus unilineatus, whose flesh is so transparent that the internal organs can be quite clearly studied through the body wall.
1952 G. F. Hervey & J. Hems Freshwater Trop. Aquarium Fishes 167 (heading) The X-Ray Fish. The (Water) Goldfinch. Native to Venezuela, the Guianas and the Amazon Basin.
1956 C. P. Mountford Art, Myth & Symbolism 134 [Fig.] E pictures an X-ray fish, probably one of the gurnards.
1996 Archaeol. in Oceania 31 120/1 Cross-hatched infill..is especially found in large polychrome X-ray fish made during the past few hundred years.
2005 D. Burnie Animal Factfile 115/2 Instead of being brightly coloured, the x-ray fish is almost transparent.
X-ray fluorescence n. Physics fluorescence as a result of irradiation with X-rays; the emission of characteristic X-rays when a substance is irradiated with X-rays or other high-energy radiation, esp. as an investigative and analytical tool.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > intensity of light, luminosity > [noun] > fluorescence
epipolic dispersion1845
fluorescence1852
X-ray fluorescence1896
XRF1954
1896 Amer. Amateur Photographer Nov. 478 Learning the value of side-shows, they have arranged to give daily demonstrations of X-ray photography, they say, but, as I understand it, X-ray fluorescence; something in the style of ‘This way to see every bone in your hand.’
1897 Electr. World 20 Feb. 267/1 X-ray fluorescence... He noticed that enamels, glass and porcelain exhibit fluorescence under the influence of X-Rays.
1915 C. G. Barkla in Nature 15 Mar. 7 (title) X-ray fluorescence and the quantum theory.
1979 Antiquaries Jrnl. 59 234 X-ray fluorescence surface analysis of the silvery patina on the blade of axe no. 3 showed a very high concentration of both lead and tin.
2007 J. A. S. Green Aluminum Recycling & Processing viii. 138/2 Pilot scrap-sorting units based on x-ray fluorescence analysis were built in the 1980s in Germany and the USSR.
X-ray spectrum n. Physics a spectrum of emitted radiation consisting of or containing X-rays; the distribution of the X-rays emitted by something, esp. as a source of potential information about the emitter.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > chromatism > [noun] > spectrum > types of
Fraunhofer spectrum1837
gas spectrum1859
interference spectrum1860
flame spectrum1862
absorption spectrum1864
fluorescence spectrum1867
band spectrum1869
comparison spectrum1877
infra-red1881
emission spectrum1888
X-ray spectrum1910
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > X-rays > [noun] > graph of intensity
X-ray spectrum1983
1910 Nature 4 Aug. 139/1 (heading) X-ray spectra.
1983 Jrnl. Physics B 16 i. 79 The large dimension of the spectrograph slit..allowed us to observe the x-ray spectra of H- and He-like F viii and F ix ions.
2007 Sci. News 6 Jan. 10/1 The width of the X-ray spectrum indicates that the galaxy's central black hole is whirling around at 90 percent of its maximum possible rate of rotation.
X-ray structure n. the atomic structure of a molecule, material, etc., as determined by X-ray crystallography.
Π
1919 Trans. Faraday Soc. 14 204 The most notable contributions..have been made by Haber, Hawkins, and Langmuir, inspired by the work of Bragg and Lawe on the X-ray structure of crystals.
1962 Science 19 Oct. 416/1 X-ray structure data indicate that the structure of glass remains unchanged between 20º and 400ºC.
2008 Hindustan Times (Nexis) 12 Nov. Kiira Ratia..provided a breakthrough when she captured the X-ray structure of the inhibitor molecule bound to the protein.
X-ray tube n. Physics an electron tube for generating X-rays, in which the electrons are accelerated to high energies and made to strike a metal target from which the X-rays are emitted.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > X-rays > [noun] > electron tube
X-ray tube1896
Coolidge tube1913
1896 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 29 Aug. 513/2 A Complete Set of Apparatus for producing the new x rays, consisting of five cell battery, an induction coil giving a three-inch spark, one of the new x ray tubes and stand.
1938 E. G. Richardson Physical Sci. Mod. Life ix. 177 Radiography—as practised in medicine and industry—became possible only with the introduction of the focusing X-ray tube.
1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XIV. 345/1 Small gamma-ray sources are placed in areas inaccessible to X-ray tubes such as inside pipelines.
2003 Pop. Sci. Dec. 68/1 His breakthrough was to place a slotted tungsten plate over the X-ray tubes to prevent photon ‘scatter’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
X-rayv.
/ˈɛksreɪ/, U.S. /ˈɛksˌreɪ/ 1. transitive. To examine, photograph, or treat using X-rays; spec. to make an X-ray image of (part of the body) for the purposes of medical diagnosis.For the rapidity with which the verb entered the language, see the note at X-ray n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > diagnosis or prognosis > radiography or radiology > examine by radiography or radiology [verb (transitive)]
X-ray1896
ray1898
Roentgen-ray1909
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > treatment by radiation > treat with radiation [verb (transitive)] > treat with X-rays
X-ray1896
ray1898
roentgenize1902
X-irradiate1932
1896 Electr. Engineer 3 June 601/1 The old tubes were coaxed up to their work or replaced if they gave out, without any holding back of that long, pushing procession of inquisitive New Yorkers eager to be ‘X-rayed’.
1900 Lancet 17 Feb. 488/2 The patient's chest had been x-rayed, but the position of the bullet could not be localised.
1908 Arch. Roentgen Ray 12 293/1 She was x-rayed on September 2 for five minutes over the front of the thorax... The result of this treatment was a welcome diminution in the asthmatic seizures.
1924 H. L. Mencken Let. 28 Apr. in H. L. Mencken & S. Haardt Mencken & Sara (1987) 134 My hoof is still painful and I have had it x-rayed.
1959 C. A. Kaye Coastal Geol. Puerto Rico 160/1 Nodules..were heated for three hours at 925°C, allowed to cool, and X-rayed.
1991 N. Baker U & I ii. 24 Driving to a medium-security prison to have our children's Halloween candy X-rayed for razor blades.
2009 Austin (Texas) Amer.-Statesman (Nexis) 6 Oct. c4 They said they were going to X-ray it and I was like, ‘Dude, it's not broken.’
2. transitive. figurative and in extended use. To attempt to divine (what cannot be seen); to look penetratingly at; to examine in great detail.
ΘΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > close examination, scrutiny > scrutinize [verb (transitive)]
through-seekOE
gropea1250
to search outa1382
ensearch1382
boltc1386
examinea1387
ransackc1390
ripea1400
search1409
overreach?a1425
considerc1425
perquirec1460
examec1480
peruse?1520
grounda1529
study1528
oversearch1532
perscrute1536
scrute1536
to go over ——1537
scan1548
examinate1560
rifle1566
to consider of1569
excuss1570
ripe1573
sift1573
sift1577
to pry into ——1581
dive1582
rub1591
explore1596
pervestigate1610
dissecta1631
profound1643
circumspect1667
scrutinize1671
perscrutatea1679
introspect1683
rummage1690
reconnoitre1740
scrutinate1742
to look through1744
scrutiny1755
parse1788
gun1819
cat-haul1840
vivisect1876
scour1882
microscope1888
tooth-comb1893
X-ray1896
comb1904
fine-tooth comb1949
1896 J. J. McLaurin Sketches in Crude-oil 378 Could a mind-reader have X-rayed his thinking-department it would likely have assumed this form: ‘Mr. Guffey, you have a tremendous body of gas here, but I have Congress on my hands!’
1915 Cosmopolitan Sept. 514/1 I could not help thinking that a great deal of time was spent in mentally X-raying my pocket- book.
1937 M. Levin Old Bunch i. i. 48 His eyes X-rayed the summery dress of every girl that hesitated near the crowd.
1977 Time 22 Aug. 30/3 The treaty will have to be X-rayed by the university.
1990 E. Hunnewell in S. Ravenel New Stories from South (1991) 105 Mother's eyes were X-raying the swinging door.
2005 H. McHaffie Vacant Possession xi. 61 She wished he wouldn't watch her so intensely. It gave her a distinct feeling he was X-raying her thoughts.
Derivatives
ˈX-rayed adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > diagnosis or prognosis > radiography or radiology > [adjective] > examined by
Roentgen-rayed1908
X-rayed1977
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > treatment by radiation > [adjective] > treated with X-rays
Roentgen-rayed1908
rayed1920
X-irradiated1928
X-rayed1977
1897 J. W. C. Haldane Railway Engin. xiv. 243 During recent years pumping machinery has been greatly simplified, as may be noted in the engraving on next page of an apparently X-rayed or semi-de-materialised pumping engine.
1977 New Yorker 26 Sept. 43/3 She..could feel the plaster armoring his X-rayed ribs.
2008 Jrnl. Archaeol. Sci. 35 697/2 (caption) This weak to moderately distinct peak is generally absent in 43 X-rayed samples of the Mount Jasper dike.
ˈX-raying n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > diagnosis or prognosis > radiography or radiology > [noun]
actinography1896
radiography1896
X-radiography1896
radioscopy1897
roentgenography1899
X-raying1899
radiology1900
roentgenology1904
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > treatment by radiation > [noun] > by X-rays
X-radiation1896
X-raying1899
roentgen therapy1900
raying1901
roentgenotherapy1902
X-irradiation1903
Roentgen-raying1905
roentgenization1906
deep therapy1944
1899 Electr. Engineer 16 Feb. 205/1 A large Röntgen ray tube designed for 12 to 15 centimeter sparks admits of the X-raying of the extremities of adults.
1902 Brit. Jrnl. Dermatol. 14 340 X-raying has a more penetrative effect than can be obtained by the use of chemicals.
1979 New Scientist 22 Feb. 648/1 Some of the X-raying is done by unqualified people and there's a row about it.
2010 Times of India (Nexis) 4 July The new baggage check system does away with separate x-raying of baggage.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.adj.1896
v.1896