irradiated
Meaning of irradiated: Irradiated describes tissue, an object, or a sample that has been deliberately exposed to a controlled dose of radiation.
Definition of irradiated
Irradiated describes something that has been exposed to radiation, typically in a controlled and measured way. Tissue is described as irradiated when it receives radiation therapy aimed at damaging or destroying targeted cells, most often as a cancer treatment delivered by an external machine or by a radioactive source placed near or within the body.
The word is also used outside of cancer treatment, such as for blood products that are irradiated before transfusion to inactivate certain white blood cells, and for food or medical equipment that is irradiated to reduce contamination. In each case, irradiation refers to the exposure itself rather than to a lasting radioactive state.
Being irradiated does not mean an object or tissue becomes radioactive; radiation passes through or is absorbed by the material without necessarily leaving it capable of emitting radiation afterward.
Used in a sentence
The surgical field included tissue that had been previously irradiated during earlier cancer treatment.
Good to know
Irradiated tissue does not itself become a source of radiation in typical external radiation therapy, which distinguishes it from a radioactive material or implant.
Word origin
Where “irradiated” comes from
From Latin irradiare, meaning "to shine upon" or "to emit rays," formed from in- (appearing as ir-, "onto") and radiare ("to emit rays"), from radius ("ray").