MRI

The word “MRI” means a medical scan that uses magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the inside of the body (short for magnetic resonance imaging). In plain terms, a scan that images the inside of the body using magnets, or the act of performing that scan.

Here is “MRI” used in a sentence: “The doctor ordered an MRI to check for a torn ligament.”

Depending on how it is used, “MRI” can be a noun and a verb.

“MRI” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“MRI” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a medical scan that uses magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the inside of the body (short for magnetic resonance imaging).

An MRI uses magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the inside of the body, while a CT scan uses X-rays. MRIs are generally preferred for detailed imaging of soft tissue such as the brain and ligaments, while CT scans are often faster and better suited to imaging bone or detecting internal bleeding.

MRI is primarily a noun referring to the scan itself, short for magnetic resonance imaging, but it is also used informally as a verb meaning to scan someone using MRI technology, as in "they MRI'd his knee."

MRI is written in capitals because it is an acronym standing for magnetic resonance imaging, a medical scan that uses magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the body. Acronyms formed from initial letters are conventionally capitalized in English.