dissection
Americannoun
-
the act of dissecting.
-
something that has been dissected.
-
a detailed, part-by-part analysis.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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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A Cut Above: Sect, Sec
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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.
See Examples For:
Graham died over the weekend due to an "aortic dissection" caused by cardiovascular disease, according to a preliminary finding by the Washington DC medical examiner.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Graham’s office said the medical examiner in Washington, D.C., attributed the South Carolina Republican’s death to aortic dissection, due to coronary artery disease.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
The late GOP senator from South Carolina died suddenly on Saturday evening at the age of 71 due to an aortic dissection, a death that would have mercifully been fast.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
In a statement, his spokesperson said a preliminary report from the medical examiner for the District of Columbia found that the 71-year-old senator died of aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
It was probably taken moments before a dissection.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
The actors John Ritter and Alan Thicke also died from aortic dissections.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Aortic dissections are sudden, often lethal and notoriously difficult to predict even in patients under close medical supervision.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
The biggest gripe from VAR detractors is that forensic dissections of game footage take the action out of their high-speed context.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Settle in for some amusing dissections of popular docuseries like “Making a Murderer” and “The Jinx,” as well as the simultaneously moralizing and exploitative “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
Tyson carried out many other famous dissections, including a rattlesnake and an ostrich.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
