anatomy

[uh-nat-uh-mee]

noun

plural

anatomies 

1. the science dealing with the structure of animals and plants.

2. the structure of an animal or plant, or of any of its parts.

3. dissection of all or part of an animal or plant in order to study its structure.

4. a plant or animal that has been or will be dissected, or a model of such a dissected organism.

5. a skeleton.

6. Informal.,  the human body.

7. an analysis or minute examination.

anatomy

/ əˈnætəmɪ /

noun

1. the science concerned with the physical structure of animals and plants

2. the physical structure of an animal or plant or any of its parts

3. a book or treatise on this subject

4. dissection of an animal or plant

5. any detailed analysis

   the anatomy of a crime

6. informal,  the human body

anatomy

1. The structure of an organism or any of its parts.

2. The scientific study of the shape and structure of organisms and their parts.

anatomy

1. The structure of an animal or plant; also, the study of this structure through techniques such as microscopic observation and dissection. (Compare morphology and physiology.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of anatomy¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin anatomia, from Greek anatom(ḗ) “dissection” (from ana- ana- + tomḗ “a cutting,” noun derivative of témnein “to cut”) + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of anatomy¹

C14: from Latin anatomia, from Greek anatomē, from anatemnein to cut up, from _ana- + temnein to cut

Example Sentences

Paul White usually excavates live electricity and utility cables but on this job the former Royal Marine needed to get his head around the anatomy of a whale.

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"We can now investigate not only the strange anatomy of these crocs, but also how they reproduced and adapted to changing environments."

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Of his first brush with gross anatomy: “One scene with people carrying legs over their shoulders to the sink to wash out the feces just turned my stomach, and I was done.”

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"The CT portion provides detailed anatomy, while the PET portion reveals metabolic activity in tissues. Using both imaging techniques together allows for the measurement of brain stress activity and arterial inflammation in a single scan."

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The Traitors star and Welsh opera singer Elen Wyn says she is "grateful to have an abnormal anatomy" as it ultimately led to her endometriosis diagnosis.

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