x-ray
UK/ˈɛks ɹeɪ//ˈɛks ˌɹeɪ/
x-ray is the alternative letter-case form of X-ray.
Noun capitalized: X-ray
X-ray (plural X-rays)
- A ray of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation usually produced by bombarding a metal target in a vacuum. Used to create images of the internal structure of objects; this is possible because X-rays pass through most objects and can expose photographic film.
- X-rays are light with a wavelength between 0.1 and 10 nm.
- Synonyms:
- Röntgen radiation, Roentgen-ray
- A radiograph: an image made with X-rays.
- The doctor ordered some X-rays of my injured wrist.
- And this friendly was not without its injury worries, with defender Gary Cahill substituted early on after a nasty, needless push by Dries Mertens that caused him to collide with goalkeeper Joe Hart, an incident that left the Chelsea defender requiring a precautionary X-ray at Wembley.2012 June 2, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Belgium”, in BBC Sport
- An X-ray machine, a machine for performing radiography.
- A tactical motif where a piece exerts influence or control over a square, piece, or line indirectly through another intervening piece.
Verb capitalized: X-ray
X-ray (third-person singular simple present X-rays, present participle X-raying, simple past and past participle X-rayed)
- To take a radiograph of; to obtain an image of using X-ray radiation, especially for the purpose of medical diagnostic evaluation.
- Of course there was nothing wrong with my left wrist. They X-rayed the wrong arm!
- Both legs broken in the morning. Tibia, fibula, femur, and ischium. X-rayed and set inside of an hour after the accident.1925, Sidney Coe Howard, They Knew What They Wanted (Doubleday, Page and Company), Act II, page 116.
- Of a piece, to exert indirect influence, by either attacking, defending, or controlling an opponent's or friendly piece through an intervening piece along a rank, file, or diagonal.
Adjective capitalized: X-ray
X-ray (not comparable)
- Of or relating to X-rays.
- I had to put my bags through an X-ray scanner at the airport.
- Who will fly and have X-ray eyes— And be known as the man no bullet can kill?1974, Shel Silverstein, “Who”, in Where the Sidewalk Ends, HarperCollins
Synonyms of x-ray
Forms of x-ray
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | x-rays |
| plural | X-rays |
| alternative form | x-ray |
| alternative form | Xray |
| alternative form | xray |
| alternative form | Ex-ray |
| alternative form | ex-ray |
| alternative form | Ex ray |
| alternative form | ex ray |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | x-rays |
| present participle | x-raying |
| past participle | x-rayed |
| past | x-rayed |
| third-person singular present | X-rays |
| present participle | X-raying |
| past participle | X-rayed |
| past | X-rayed |
Origin of x-ray
From X + ray, a calque of German X-Strahl, coined by Wilhelm Röntgen upon his discovery of the rays in 1895, where X signifies their unknown nature. The chess sense is metaphorical, referring to control passing through a seemingly solid barrier.
Words formed from x-ray
- dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
- hard X-ray
- soft X-ray
- X-ray absorbing glass
- X-ray astronomy
- X-ray binary
- X-ray crystallography
- X-ray diffraction
- X-ray fish
- X-ray fluorescence
- X-ray microscope
- X-ray photograph
- X-ray pulsar
- X-ray radiation
- X-ray specs
- X-ray spectacles
- X-ray spectrometry
- X-ray spectroscopy
- X-ray spectrum
- X-ray telescope
- X-ray tetra
- X-ray therapy
- X-ray tube
- X-ray vision
Phrases with x-ray
Questions about x-ray
- What does x-ray mean?
- X-ray means a ray of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation usually produced by bombarding a metal target in a vacuum. Used to create images of the internal structure of objects; this is possible because X-rays pass through most objects and can expose photographic film.
- What is x-ray the alternative letter-case form of?
- X-ray is the alternative letter-case form of X-ray.
- What part of speech is x-ray?
- X-ray can be a noun, a verb or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce x-ray?
- X-ray is pronounced /ˈɛks ɹeɪ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of x-ray?
- The plural of x-ray is x-rays.
Words near x-ray in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: x-ray (page history and authors); X-ray (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-X-ray.ogg.
Cite this entry: “x-ray.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/x-ray. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.