Definition of "backscatter" [backscatter]

• The deflection of radiation or particles by electromagnetic or nuclear forces through angles greater than 90° to the initial direction of travel. (noun)
• The radiation or particles so deflected. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The other scanners use X-ray beams, in what is known as "backscatter technology.""
• "The other scanners use X-ray beams, in what is known as backscatter technology."
• "The full-body scanners, called backscatter devices, are supposed to deliver only a tiny amount of radiation — about as much as an airplane passenger gets during two minutes of a typical flight."