 | Term | Definition |
| |
anatomy |
Study of the parts of the body. |
| |
physiology |
Function of the body. |
| |
anatomical position |
Standing erect with face forward, arms at the side, palms forward. |
| |
anterior/ventral |
Front or in front of (called 2 different things) |
| |
posterior/dorsal |
Back or in back of (called 2 different things) |
| |
cranial |
Refers to the head of the body |
| |
caudal |
Means tail end |
| |
superior |
Upper or above something |
| |
inferior |
Lower or below something |
| |
medial |
Toward the middle |
| |
lateral |
Toward the side of the body |
| |
proximal |
Toward the point of attachment to the body or the trunk of the body |
| |
distal |
Away from the point of attachment to the body |
| |
superficial (external) |
Near the surface or outside the body (called 2 different things) |
| |
deep (internal) |
Inside the body (called 2 different things) |
| |
planes |
Imaginary anatomical dividing planes |
| |
section |
Cut made through the body in the direction of a certain plane |
| |
sagittal plane (median, midline) |
Divides the body into right and left parts (called 3 different things) |
| |
coronal (frontal) plane |
Vertical cut at right angles to sagittal plane, divides the body into anterior and posterior positions (called 2 different things) |
| |
tranverse plane |
Cross-section, a horizontal cut that divides the body into upper and lower parts |
| |
dorsal cavity |
Contains the brain and spinal cord |
| |
cranial cavity |
Contains the brain |
| |
spinal cavity |
Contains the spinal cord |
| |
anterior cavity (ventral cavity) |
Contains the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities (called 2 different things) |
| |
thoracic cavity |
Contains the heart and lungs |
| |
abdominopelvic cavity |
Contains the abdominal and pelvic cavities |
| |
abdominal cavity |
Contains the stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas |
| |
pelvic cavity |
Contains the urinary bladder and reproductive organs |
