dissect
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dissectus past participle of dissecare (“to cut asunder, cut up”), from dis- (“asunder”) + secare (“to cut”); see section.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /dɪˈsɛkt/
- (US) IPA(key): /dɪˈsɛkt/, /daɪˈsɛkt/
- Rhymes: -ɛkt
Verb
dissect (third-person singular simple present dissects, present participle dissecting, simple past and past participle dissected)
- (transitive) To study an animal's anatomy by cutting it apart; to perform a necropsy or an autopsy.
- (transitive) To study a plant or other organism's anatomy similarly.
- (transitive) To analyze an idea in detail by separating it into its parts.
- (transitive, anatomy, surgery) To separate muscles, organs, and so on without cutting into them or disrupting their architecture.
- Now dissect the triceps away from its attachment on the humerus.
- (transitive, pathology) Of an infection or foreign material, following the fascia separating muscles or other organs.
Related terms
- dissection
Translations
to study a dead animal's anatomy by cutting it apart
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to analyze an idea in detail by separating it into its parts
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to separate muscles, organs, and so on without cutting or disrupting
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Further reading
- dissect in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- dissect in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- dissect at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- cestids