dissection

American  

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

noun

• dissections
  plural

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

• redissection
  noun
• self-dissection
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dissections
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dissection

1575–85; < Latin dissectiōn- (stem of dissectiō ), equivalent to dissect- ( see dissect) + -iōn- -ion

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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

See Examples For:

dissection dissections

At 43 years old, I recently had emergency open-heart surgery for an ascending aortic dissection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

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

He estimates that 10% of people with an aortic dissection die within an hour, though other physicians say the percentage of patients who die at home could be as high as 40%.

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

Malpighi seems to have stimulated Borelli’s interest in living things, while Borelli seems to have stimulated Malpighi to investigate the way living systems work and encouraged his efforts at dissection.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Documentarian Alex Gibney is no stranger to dissections of corrupting power — from his feature dives into Enron, Elizabeth Holmes and Scientology.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

About 20% of aortic dissections are thought to be the result of genes.

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

Contrary to common belief, dissections were not illegal in Europe for most of modern history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

Tyson carried out many other famous dissections, including a rattlesnake and an ostrich.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

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Related Words

• postmortem

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