spirogram
- noun
- /ˈspaɪrəˌɡræm/
- Specialized
- The doctor reviewed the spirogram to assess the patient's lung function during the examination.
Examples
-
Spirograms and flow-volume loops were checked for quality by an experienced technician from the University Hospital Leuven.
Academic text (2012) -
A normal spirogram/spirometry when not symptomatic does not exclude the diagnosis of asthma.
Academic text (2012) -
NICE accepts that spirometry is only useful if a 'good quality spirogram is obtained', but says that how patients might have access to high-quality testing may depend on local circumstances. (For a more detailed explanation, see Rachel Booker's articles in Practice Nurse, Spirometry: getting the test right, and Spirometry: understanding the results.)
Academic text (2015) -
After performing the test, the technician printed the spirogram for the patient's records.
-
A clear spirogram can help determine if a patient has any breathing problems.
Surface Forms
Morphology
spirogram = spiro + gram
The elements are technical Greek combining forms ('spiro-' = breathe, '-gram' = recording) that are not productive standalone words for average B1 learners, so the meaning is not readily inferable from the parts.
Etymology
The word spirogram comes from the Latin root spirare 'to breathe' and the ending -gram 'a written record', as in telegram. So a spirogram is a written picture of your breathing, which is why doctors use it to show how much air you breathe and the pattern of your breaths.
