Skip to main content
electroencephalograph

electroencephalograph

1 8.9
A machine that records the brain's electrical waves
  • noun
  • /ɪˌlɛktrəʊˌɛnˈsɛfələˌɡræf/
  • Specialized
: electroencefalógrafo
  • The electroencephalograph (EEG) gives a graphic picture of the electrical firings of the brain, while computerized axial tomography (the CAT scan) is a kind of sophisticated X-ray.
  • electroencephalograph (EEG)

Examples

  • When brain activity while reading is measured with an electroencephalograph (EEG), the results show a strikingly different pattern when a word has been primed compared to unprimed words.

    Blog text (19)
  • An electroencephalograph (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may then be performed to identify any abnormal electrical activity within the brain and to aid diagnosis and classification.

    Academic text (2012)
  • An electroencephalograph was one of the tests.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Tried monitoring him 24 hours a day on an electroencephalograph.

  • I administered an electroencephalograph.

  • Brain wave patterns can be measured and analyzed by use of the electroencephalograph (EEG).

    Academic text (1990)
  • Hooked up to the electroencephalograph, the sleeping person's brain discharges mainly high-amplitude, low-frequency oscillations in the delta band (0.5 to 3 cycles per second).

    Academic text (2010)
  • The doctor used an electroencephalograph to record the patient's brain activity during the test.

  • Neurologists commonly rely on an electroencephalograph to monitor the electrical signals of patients experiencing seizures.

  • An electroencephalograph can help researchers understand how different stimuli affect brain responses.

Synonyms

encephalograph
vselectroencephalograph
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A machine that records the brain's electrical signals to show brain activity

is the identical medical instrument but called by a different name

Surface Forms

Morphology

electroencephalograph = encephalograph (semi-transparent) = electro + encephalo + graph

The word is built in a largely literal way from classical combining forms, but it remains a technical medical term that is not fully transparent to average learners.

Etymology

The word electroencephalograph comes from three parts: electro- meaning 'electricity', encephalo- meaning 'brain', and -graph meaning 'to write or record', like in autograph. So an electroencephalograph is a machine that 'writes down' the brain's electrical signals, which is why doctors use it to record brain activity.