-gram

DEFINITION of -gram

forms nouns: gram- - a record of the activity of an organ (record)

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ETYMOLOGY of -gram

greek

Component	Origin	Meaning
gram- / -gram	Greek γράμμα (grámma), from γράφειν (gráphein)	Noun-forming suffix — “record,” “something written,” “drawing/tracing” — noun-forming suffix denoting a diagnostic image, tracing, or record of physiological activity or anatomical structure

The word entered English in the 1610s as diagram (noun), borrowed from French diagramme, from Late Latin diagramma, from Greek διάγραμμα (diagramma) — literally “that which is marked out by lines, a drawing” (from dia- “across, through” + gramma “something written or drawn”). In physiological and radiographic recording, specialized medical compounds appeared in the 1870s with cardiogram, followed by electrocardiogram in the 1900s. The root grámma (“something written, drawing, record”) connects -gram to the entire recording and imaging roots: electrocardiogram (electro- + cardio- + -gram $\to$ electrical tracing of heart activity), angiogram (angio- + -gram $\to$ radiographic record of blood vessels), and encephalogram (encephalo- + -gram $\to$ recording of electrical activity in the brain). The noun-forming suffix -gram is paired with the recording instrument -graph and procedural technique -graphy, and is extremely productive across diagnostic radiology, cardiology, and neurology: e.g., echocardiogram, myelogram, ureterogram, mammogram, and venogram.

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🔗 RELATED TERMS to -gram

• -graph — instrument counterpart of -gram; shares the Greek gráphein root; designates the physical recording instrument, device, or apparatus that detects, measures, or registers physiological phenomena (e.g., electrocardiograph instrument vs. electrocardiogram tracing).
• -graphy — procedural/process counterpart of -gram; denotes the diagnostic imaging examination, method, or recording technique itself (e.g., angiography, mammography), whereas -gram designates the resulting tangible image, tracing, or record produced.
• electrocardiogram (ECG / EKG) — diagnostic electrical tracing of myocardial depolarization and repolarization across time recorded via surface electrodes; gold standard record for evaluating acute myocardial infarction (I21.9), cardiac arrhythmias (I49.9), and conduction disturbances (I44-I45).
• echocardiogram — graphic and acoustic imaging record of cardiac chambers, valves, and hemodynamic flow patterns produced by reflected ultrasound waves; essential for diagnosing heart failure (I50.9) and valvular heart disease (I08-I39).
• angiogram — radiographic image/record of blood vessel lumen caliber, architecture, and patency following intravascular injection of radiopaque contrast medium; diagnostic record for coronary artery disease (I25.10), arterial stenosis (I77.1), and aneurysm (I72.x).
• electroencephalogram (EEG) — electrophysiologic record of spontaneous cerebral cortical electrical activity recorded via scalp electrodes; primary diagnostic tracing for epileptic seizures (G40.x), encephalopathy (G93.40), and assessment of cerebral death.
• electromyogram (EMG) — electrodiagnostic recording of muscle motor unit electrical potential during rest and voluntary contraction; distinguishes lower motor neuron denervation (G12.21, M54.1x) from primary myopathies (G72.9).
• mammogram — projection X-ray photographic/digital record of breast parenchyma; primary diagnostic and screening imaging study for the detection of breast neoplasms (C50.x) and microcalcifications (R92.0).
• myelogram — fluoroscopic radiographic record of the spinal subarachnoid space, spinal cord, and exiting nerve roots following intrathecal contrast injection; evaluates spinal cord compression and herniated nucleus pulposus (M51.2x) when MRI is contraindicated.
• ureterogram — fluoroscopic radiographic record of the ureteral lumen following retrograde catheterization or antegrade nephrostomy contrast opacification; evaluates ureteral obstruction (N13.9), stricture (N13.5), or filling defects.
• pyelogram / urogram — radiographic record of the renal pelvis, calyces, and ureteric architecture; used in evaluating hydronephrosis (N13.30), renal calculus disease (N20.0), and urothelial neoplasms.
• venogram (phlebogram) — radiographic record of venous architecture and flow following intravenous contrast opacification; definitive imaging record for deep vein thrombosis (I82.40x) and chronic venous insufficiency (I87.2).
• audiogram — standardized graphic chart recording auditory threshold hearing sensitivity (intensity in decibels across frequencies in Hertz); diagnostic record for sensorineural hearing loss (H90.3) versus conductive hearing loss (H90.0).
• fluoroscopy / radiography — primary ionizing radiation imaging modalities utilized to generate radiographic contrast -gram records.

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DERIVATIONS of -gram

TABLE definition AS Definition 
WHERE length(filter(roots, (word) => econtains([[]].roots, word))) > 0 AND file.name != [[]].file.name
SORT file.name ASC

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Query

TABLE definition AS Definition
FROM #medroot
WHERE length(filter(definition, (word) => econtains([[]].definition, word))) > 0 AND file.name != [[]].file.name

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