multileaf collimator

noun

A collimator used in a linear accelerator to provide conformal shaping of beams for radiotherapy. Abbreviation: MLC.

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Meanings

nounmultileaf collimator (plural multileaf collimators)

plural multileaf collimators

  1. medicineA collimator used in a linear accelerator to provide conformal shaping of beams for radiotherapy. Abbreviation: MLC.

Origin

So called because it is made up of individual "leaves" of a chemical element, usually tungsten, that can move independently in and out of the path of a particle beam in order to block it.

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Cite this entry
APA

multileaf collimator. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/multileaf%20collimator

MLA

“multileaf collimator.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/multileaf%20collimator. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “multileaf collimator,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/multileaf%20collimator.

Source: multileaf collimator on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.