dissection

American  

[dih-sek-shuhn, dahy-] / dɪˈsɛk ʃən, daɪ- /

noun

1. the act of dissecting.

2. something that has been dissected.

3. a detailed, part-by-part analysis.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-dissection
  noun
• redissection
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

Even the famous concluding quintet, “To leave, to break,” a bitter dissection of love, was noisy rather than poignant or profound.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 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

And hometown hero Sam Fender will be hoping for a local advantage with his third album, People Watching, a steely-eyed dissection of working-class life in the North.

From BBC • Oct. 15, 2025

To my everlasting delight, I had somehow managed to get Dorothy Plunk as my partner for the worm dissection.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• postmortem