Echocardiography
/ˌɛkoʊˌkɑːrdiˈɒɡrəfi/noun
The use of ultrasound waves to create images of the heart.
Did you know?Its opening element, “echo,” comes from Ancient Greek ēkhō, also the name of Echo, the mythological nymph condemned to repeat others’ words.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ēkhō
“Sound or reverberating cry; the source of “echo””
Ancient Greek
Greek
kardía
“Heart”
Ancient Greek
Greek
graphḗ
“Writing or recording”
19th Century
Medical Greek
echocardiograph
“An instrument or recording produced through cardiac echoes”
20th Century
Medical English
echocardiography
“The imaging or recording of the heart using ultrasound echoes”
Modern English
English
echocardiography
“Ultrasound-based imaging of the heart”