
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Definition: Anatomy |
AnatomyNoun1. The branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals. 2. Alternative names for the body of a human being; "Leonardo studied the human body"; "he has a strong physique"; "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". 3. A detailed analysis; "he studied the anatomy of crimes". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "anatomy" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1350. (references) |
Etymology: Anatomy \A*nat"o*my\, noun; plural Anatomies. [French expression anatomie, from Latin expression anatomia, Greek dissection, from to cut up; to cut.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Literature | Anatomy He was like an anatomy - i.e. a mere skeleton, very thin, like one whose flesh had been anatomised or cut off. Shakespeare uses atomy as a synonym. Thus the hostess Quickly says to the Beadle: "Thou atomy, thou!" and Doll Tearsheet caps the phrase with, "Come, you thin thing; come, you rascal." - 2 Henry IV, v. 4. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Anatomy (from the Greek anatome, from ana-temnein, to cut up), is the branch of biology that deals with the structure and organization of living things; thus there is animal anatomy (zootomy) and vegetable anatomy (phytotomy). The major branches of anatomy include comparative anatomy and human anatomy.
Animal anatomy may include the study of the structure of different animals, when it is called comparative anatomy or animal morphology, or it may be limited to one animal only, in which case it is spoken of as special anatomy.
From a utilitarian point of view the study of Man is the most important division of special anatomy, and this human anatomy may be approached from different points of view. From that of the medical man it consists of a knowledge of the exact form, position, size and relationship of the various structures of the human body in health, and to this study the term descriptive or topographical human anatomy is given, though it is often, less happily, spoken of as Anthropotomy.
An accurate knowledge of all the details of the human body takes years of patient observation to gain and is possessed by only a few. So intricate is man's body that only a small number of professional human anatomists are complete masters of all its details, and most of them specialize on certain parts, such as the brain, viscera, &c.; contenting themselves with a good working knowledge of the rest. Topographical anatomy must be learned by each person for himself by the repeated dissection and inspection of the dead human body. It is no more a science than a pilot's knowledge is, and, like that knowledge, must be exact and available in moments of emergency.
From the morphological point of view, however, human anatomy is a scientific and fascinating study, having for its object the discovery of the causes which have brought about the existing structure of Man, and needing a knowledge of the allied sciences of embryology or ontogeny, phylogeny, and histology.
Pathological anatomy (or morbid anatomy) is the study of diseased organs, while sections of normal anatomy, applied to various purposes, receive special names such as medical, surgical, gynaecological, artistic and superficial anatomy. The comparison of the anatomy of different races of mankind is part of the science of physical anthropology or anthropological anatomy. In the present edition of this work the subject of anatomy is treated systematically rather than topographically. Each anatomical article contains first a description of the structures of an organ or system (such as nerves, arteries, heart, &c.), as itis found in Man; and this is followed by an account of the development or embryology and comparative anatomy or morphology, as far as vertebrate animals are concerned; but only those parts of the lower animals which are of interest in explaining Man's structure are here dealt with. The articles have a twofold purpose; first, to give enough details of man's structure to make the articles on physiology, surgery, medicine and pathology intelligible; and, secondly, to give the non-expert inquirer, or the worker in some other branch of science, the chief theories on which the modern scientific groundwork of anatomy is built.
- Systems in the (human) body:
- integumentary system
- muscular system
- nervous system
- reproductive system
- respiratory system
- excretory system
- circulatory system
- skeletal system (Human skeleton)
- endocrine system
- digestive system
- Organss in the (human) body:
- anus
- appendix
- brain
- breast
- colon or large intestine
- diaphragm
- ear
- eye
- heart
- kidney
- labia
- larynx
- liver
- lung
- nose
- ovary
- pharynx
- pancreas
- penis
- placenta
- rectum
- skin
- small intestine
- spleen
- stomach
- tongue
- uterus
- Bones in the human skeleton:
- collar bone (clavicle)
- thigh bone (femur)
- humerus
- mandible
- patella
- radius
- skull
- tibia
- ulna
- rib
- vertebrae
- Glands in the (human) body:
- ductless gland
- mammary gland
- salivary gland
- thyroid gland
- parathyroid gland
- adrenal gland
- pituitary gland
- pineal gland
- Tissuess in the (human) body:
- connective tissue
- endothelial tissue
- epithelial tissue
- glandular tissue
- The externally visible parts of the (human) body:
- abdomen
- arm
- back
- butt
- chest
- ear
- eye
- face
- genitals
- joint
- leg
- mouth
- neck
- scalp
- skin
- teeth
- tongue
- Other anatomic terms (not classified):
- artery
- coelom
- diaphragm
- gastrointestinal tract
- hair
- exoskeleton
- lip
- nerve
- peritoneum
- serous membrane
- skeleton
- skull
- spinal cord
- vein
Free Anatomy Atlas
See also: History of anatomy, Organ (anatomy), Superficial anatomy, List of human anatomical features, Terms for anatomical location.
There is a historical type of English poetry called an anatomy, or more precisely an amatory anatomy. It is a love sonnet dedicated to describing the parts of a lover's anatomy, usually female.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Anatomy."
Synonyms: AnatomySynonyms: bod (n), build (n), chassis (n), figure (n), flesh (n), form (n), frame (n), human body (n), material body (n), physical body (n), physique (n), shape (n), soma (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Disjunction | Dissection anatomy; decomposition; cutting instrument; (sharpness); buzzsaw, circular saw, rip saw. |
Narrowness Thinness | Having, slip; (filament); thread paper, skeleton, shadow, anatomy, spindleshanks, lantern jaws, mere skin and bone. |
Organization | Biology; natural history, organic chemistry, anatomy, physiology; zoology; botany; microbiology, virology, bacteriology, mycology; naturalist. |
Texture | Noun: structure (form), organization, anatomy, frame, mold, fabric, construction; framework, carcass, architecture; stratification, cleavage. |
Zoology | Noun: zoology, zoonomy, zoography, zootomy; anatomy; comparative anatomy; animal physiology, comparative physiology; morphology; mammalogy. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Anatomy |
| English words defined with "anatomy": Descriptive anatomy. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "anatomy": artist, scientific ♦ Biological Sciences, BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN ♦ Crowns ♦ Death's Head on a Mopstick, Democritos, diagnostic cardiac sonographe ♦ ECHOCARDIOGRAPH TECHNICIAN ♦ heart specialis, histologis, HISTOPATHOLOGIST ♦ ILLUSTRATOR, MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ♦ Liver Cirrhosis ♦ Magnetic Resonance Angiography ♦ Neurosciences, NURSE, INSTRUCTOR ♦ ORTHOPEDIC-BOOT-AND-SHOE DESIGNER AND MAKER ♦ PHYSICAL-INTEGRATION PRACTITIONER, PROSTHETICS TECHNICIAN ♦ restoration technician, RESURRECTION MEN. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "anatomy": Androtomy. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Anatomy" is also a word in the following language with the English translation in parentheses. Frisian (anatomy). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I have detailed files on human anatomy. (Terminator 2: Judgment Day; writing credit: James Cameron; William Wisher Jr.) Let me give you an anatomy lesson (Vampire in Brooklyn; writing credit: Michael Lucker, Charles Murphy, Christopher Parker) I've never quit anything in my life except for Chinese calligraphy, my Theses 2, Kangaroo Anatomy, Toe Photography, Booger sculpture and masturbation (Bio-Dome; writing credit: Adam Leff; Mitchell Peck) Really? And what part of her anatomy is she gonna kill me with (Leprechaun 4: In Space; writing credit: Dennis A. Pratt) On the next wrong answer, you will move on to more vital parts of his anatomy. (Live and Let Die; writing credit: Tom Mankiewicz) | |
Lyrics | Oh and my anatomy (Turn On Some Music; performing artist: Marvin Gaye) Taking the pain from all my anatomy (Turn On Some Music; performing artist: Marvin Gaye) | |
Clever | Whoever called it necking was a poor judge of anatomy. (references; author: Groucho Marx) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Anatomy of Pop (1971) Young People's Concerts: Anatomy of a Symphony Orchestra (1970) Anatomy of a Crime (1969) The Anatomy of Apartheid (1963) Anatomy of an Accident (1961) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
These are several schematic drawings of the anatomy of the breast, showing the internal and external structures of the breast. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. | ![]() | Oil painting of a pair of surf scoters in flight by Wilhelm Goebel, 30677 E. Rustic Drive, Salisbury, MD 21804. The painting depicts New Jersey's southern shoreline featuring the Barnegat lighthouse in the background. Wil, a nationally known wildlife artist, received a degree in biology from Ithaca College, NY, and makes a lifetime study of bird anatomy. He began entering the Federal Duck Stamp competition at the age of 18 and after 17 years of submitting artwork, finally won the big prize. Wil designed the 1994 New Jersey Duck Stamp and additional fishing stamps for New Jersey, Delaware and Illinois. He has been selected to design the 1996 New Jersey Duck Stamp, the 1996 North Dakota Duck Stamp and the 1996 Alaska Duck Stamp. Return to the Federal Duck Stamp Office Home Page. | |
![]() | Students learn about eye anatomy. Credit: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. | ![]() | Eye anatomy lesson. Credit: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. |
![]() | [Female anatomy figure]. Credit: National Library of Medicine. | ![]() | Private laboratory - professor of anatomy. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
![]() | The anatomy of credit. Credit: Library of Congress. | ![]() | Horse, drawn to show muscle structure and anatomy. Credit: Library of Congress. |
![]() | External anatomy of a bee shown in three full views and various details with key at bottom. Credit: Library of Congress. | ![]() | Mitchell Field. "Plumbing system" of a fighting plane. The rear end of an air-cooled aviation engine with cowling removed, showing fuel lines, ignition leads, instrument leads and other intimate portions of the anatomy of a mighty flying power plant. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
John Locke | Logic is the anatomy of thought. |
Lord Herbert | Whoever considers the study of anatomy can never be an atheist. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | They passed into the anatomy theatre where Mr Dedalus, the porter aiding him, searched the desks for his initials |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Treatment decisions should be based on a diagnosis made after a reasonable evaluation of anatomy and function of urine storage and emptying. (references) | |
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -- a diagnostic and research technique that uses magnetic fields to generate a computer image of brain anatomy. (references) | ||
Some investigators are studying the functions and anatomy of the motor system and how it regulates movement and relates to major command centers in the brain. (references) | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Anatomy" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Anatomy" is used about 439 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 439 | 13,152 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "anatomy": comparative anatomy ♦ Descriptive anatomy ♦ gross anatomy ♦ lecture on anatomy ♦ microscopic anatomy ♦ morbid anatomy. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
anatomy | 3,964 | muscle anatomy | 142 |
human anatomy | 2,401 | penis anatomy | 135 |
female anatomy | 899 | liver anatomy | 130 |
anatomy illustration | 749 | anatomy of the ear | 125 |
human anatomy picture | 597 | hand anatomy | 123 |
grays anatomy | 489 | cat anatomy | 123 |
anatomy and physiology | 445 | female anatomy picture | 111 |
anatomy of the human body | 289 | diagram of human anatomy | 109 |
male anatomy | 279 | shoulder anatomy | 102 |
brain anatomy | 271 | body anatomy | 99 |
heart anatomy | 257 | female anatomy photo | 99 |
knee anatomy | 227 | canine anatomy | 96 |
horse anatomy | 218 | human anatomy and physiology | 95 |
eye anatomy | 211 | fish anatomy | 86 |
frog anatomy | 207 | anatomy woman | 84 |
foot anatomy | 205 | anatomy pig | 78 |
anatomy ghost | 188 | breast anatomy | 77 |
dog anatomy | 186 | bird anatomy | 76 |
anatomy picture | 171 | rat anatomy | 76 |
vagina anatomy | 165 | animal anatomy | 75 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "anatomy"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | anatomie. (various references) | |
Albanian | anatomi. (various references) | |
Arabic | تحليل (analyses, analysis, dissection, permission, test), تركيب (assemblage, assembly, combination, composing, composition, installation, structure, synthesis, texture), تشريح (dissection, post mortem, postmortem), علم التشريح, جسم جميل, التركيب البنيوي, شخص نحيل جدا (skeleton). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | скелет (atomy, bones, framework, shell, skeleton), човешко тяло, анатомия, анализ (analysis, analytics, assay, dissection, test), дисекция (dissection, necropsy). (various references) | |
Chinese | 解剖學 , 解剖学. (various references) | |
Czech | anatomie, tìlo (body, corpus, flesh). (various references) | |
Danish | anatomi, dissektion (dissection). (various references) | |
Dutch | ontleedkunde, anatomie. (various references) | |
Esperanto | anatomio. (various references) | |
Farsi | مبحث تشریح , کالبدشناسی , تجزیه (Analysis, Breakup, Dissection, Refraction, Resolution, Severance), تشریح (Description, Dissection, Surgery), ساختمان (Construction, Frame, Make, Mechanism, Skeleton, Stance, Structure), استخوان بندی (Bone, Framework, Skeleton). (various references) | |
Finnish | anatomia. (various references) | |
French | anatomie. (various references) | |
Frisian | anatomy. (various references) | |
German | Anatomie. (various references) | |
Greek | ανατομία. (various references) | |
Hebrew | מבנה גוף האדם, אנטומיה. (various references) | |
Hungarian | anatómia, bonctan, taglalat (disquisition), múmia (mummy), csontváz (bony system, skeleton), boncolás (autopsy, dissecting, dissection, necrotomy), anatómiai készítmény. (various references) | |
Indonesian | anatomi (anatomical), ilmu urai tubuh. (various references) | |
Italian | anatomia. (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 解剖学 . (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | かいぼうがく. (various references) | |
Korean | 해부학. (various references) | |
Manx | ronsaghey-kirpey. (various references) | |
Papiamen | anatomia. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | anatomyay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | anatomia. (various references) | |
Romanian | anatomie. (various references) | |
Russian | анатомия. (various references) | |
Sepedi | kgoladitho. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | anatomija. (various references) | |
Spanish | anatomía. (various references) | |
Swedish | anatomi. (various references) | |
Turkish | anatomik yapı, anatomi, anatomí, analiz (analysis, breakdown, decomposition, post mortem), vücut yapısı (body build, build, figure, physique), inceleme (analysis, checkover, checkup, compendium, dissection, examination, inquisition, investigation, observing, perusal, research, sifting, study, survey, surveying), beden yapisi. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | структура (architecture, conformation, contexture, economy, fabric, formation, framework, ordonnance, organization, structure), скелет (skeleton), розтин (cut), мумія (mummy), анатомія, анатомування, анатомований орган, людьске тіло, будова (architecture, set, state), детальний аналіз. (various references) | |
Vietnamese | thuật mổ xẻ khoa giải phẫu bộ xương. (various references) | |
Welsh | anatomeg. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Greek | 700 BCE-300 CE | anatome. (various references) |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | anatomia. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words ending with "anatomy": microanatomy, neuroanatomy. (additional references) | |
| |
"Anatomy" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: amatomy, anacomp, anamony, anathomy, anatogy, anatome, anatomi, Anatomia, anatomix, Anatoni, anatonmy, anatony, anatory, anetomy, Annachamy, Antoky, antomym, antoym. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "anatomy" (pronounced una"tumē) |
| 4 | -t u m ē | appendectomy, dichotomy, keratotomy, epitome, hysterectomies, hysterectomy, lumpectomy, mastectomy, prostatectomy, tonsillectomy, vasectomy. |
| 3 | -u m ē | academy, alchemy, anomie, Archenemy, astronomy, autonomy, blasphemy, economy, enemy, gastronomy, infamy, monogamy, polygamy, sesame, sodomy. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-m-n-o-t-y" | |
-2 letters: anomy, atman, atomy, atony, manat, manta, mayan, toman. | |
-3 letters: anoa, anta, atma, atom, mana, mano, many, maya, mayo, moan, moat, mony, myna, noma, nota, tony. | |
-4 letters: ama, ana, ant, any, man, mat, may, moa, mon, mot, nam, nay, nom, not, oat, tam, tan, tao, tom, ton, toy, yam, yom, yon. | |
-5 letters: aa, am, an. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-a-m-n-o-t-y" | |
+2 letters: amyotonia, damnatory, mandatory. | |
+3 letters: amendatory, amyotonias, flamboyant, mythomania. | |
+4 letters: abnormality, condylomata, flamboyants, mandatorily, manufactory, mythomaniac, mythomanias, paramountcy, paramountly. | |
+5 letters: anatomically, flamboyantly, gynecomastia, inflammatory, intracompany, manipulatory, microanalyst, microanatomy, monastically, mutationally, mythomaniacs, neuroanatomy, ornamentally, romantically, synaptosomal, unflamboyant. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.