dissection
AmericanOther Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of dissection
1575–85; < Latin dissectiōn- (stem of dissectiō ), equivalent to dissect- ( see dissect) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Dissection is the process of separating something into pieces. Whether the dissection involves taking a poem apart line-by-line to learn its meaning or cutting open a frog to study its insides, you're pulling out the parts that make up a whole to better understand it. Let's dissect, or take apart, this word for a moment. Dis- means "apart" and section means "to cut", which come together to form the definition of dissection: "to cut apart." When you cut something up into sections you're doing a dissection. The word is commonly used when talking about the process of cutting something apart for scientific purposes, it's also used to talk about taking apart an argument, a poem, or a plan.
Vocabulary lists containing dissection
Geometry - High School
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Geometry (Base List)
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The Hot Zone
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He gave lectures on bird dissection and the famous naturalist Charles Darwin, who was a medical student in Edinburgh at the same time, was in attendance.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
To him, presenting “Fiddler on the Roof” in Yiddish is revolutionary, as is “John Proctor Is the Villain’s” dissection of a classic through a feminist lens.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
"This is a very significant finding; it is the first genetic dissection of Race 4 resistance from this wild subspecies."
From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026
Wider, diverse sets of genres make films like these all the more appealing to audiences, and in turn, proliferate the public discussion and dissection of these movies as time goes on.
From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026
Right in the middle of the dissection, Justin’s stopwatch went off and he had to put down the scalpel.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
