noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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British, Southern, Standard:/əˈnatəmɪj/
Scotland:/əˈnatəme/
Scotland:/-mɪ/
Scotland:/-mi/
New-Zealand:/əˈnɛtəmi/
CMU ARPABET:AH0 N AE1 T AH0 M IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The science that deals with the form and structure of organic bodies; anatomical structure or organization.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Animal anatomy is also called zootomy; vegetable anatomy, phytotomy; and human anatomy, anthropotomy.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The study of the parts of any organized body, to discover their situation, structure, and economy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The physical or functional organization of an organism, or part of it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
I went to the Venice beach body-building competition and noticed the competitor from Athens, and let me tell you, that's what I call classic Greek anatomy.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A treatise or book on anatomy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
The form of an individual.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: colloquial, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
The human body, especially in reference to the genitals.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, euphemistic, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
A skeleton or other dead body.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
The act of dividing anything, corporeal or intellectual, for the purpose of examining its parts.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, countable, uncountable
Examples
the anatomy of a discourse
the anatomy of love
Burton's famous treatise, "The Anatomy of Melancholy"
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: analysis
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
a detailed analysis
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he studied the anatomy of crimes
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: analysis
10
noun
Meaning 10
alternative names for the body of a human being
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
Leonardo studied the human body
he has a strong physique
the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: human body, physical body, material body, soma, build, figure, physique, shape, bod, chassis, frame, form, flesh
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2en- Proto-Hellenic *aná Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ́ (ănắ) Ancient Greek ἀνα- (ana-) Proto-Indo-European *temh1- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Ancient Greek τέμνω (témnō) Ancient Greek ἀνατέμνω (anatémnō) Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek ἀνατομή (anatomḗ) Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin anatomiader. Old French anatomiebor. Middle English anatomie English anatomy From Middle English anatomie, from Old French anatomie, from Latin anatomia, from Ancient Greek ἀνατομή (anatomḗ, “dissection”, literally “cutting up”), from ἀνα- (ana-, “up”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut, incise”). By surface analysis, ana- + -tomy. Doublet of ottomy.
Across languages
Translations
68 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
anatomie
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Arabic:
تَشْرِيح
(tašrīḥ)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Armenian:
անատոմիա
(anatomia)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Armenian:
կազմախոսություն
(kazmaxosutʻyun)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Azerbaijani:
anatomiya
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Basque:
anatomia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Burmese:
ခန္ဓာဗေဒ
(hkandhabeda.)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Catalan:
anatomia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Chinese Mandarin:
解剖學 /解剖学
(jiěpōuxué)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Chinese Mandarin:
解剖
(jiěpōu)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Czech:
anatomie
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Danish:
anatomi
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Dutch:
anatomie
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Esperanto:
anatomio
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Estonian:
anatoomia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Faroese:
kropsbygnaður
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Faroese:
kropsbygnaðarfrøði
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Finnish:
anatomia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
French:
anatomie
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Georgian:
ანატომია
(anaṭomia)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
German:
Anatomie
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Greek:
ανατομία
(anatomía)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Gujarati:
શરીરરચનાશાસ્ત્ર
(śarīrracnāśāstra)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Hebrew:
אנטומיה
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Hindi:
शारीरिकी
(śārīrikī)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Hungarian:
anatómia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Hungarian:
bonctan
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Icelandic:
líffærafræði
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Indonesian:
anatomi
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Irish:
anatamaíocht
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Italian:
anatomia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Japanese:
解剖学
(kaibōgaku)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Japanese:
解剖
(kaibō)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Khmer:
កាយវិភាគសាស្ត្រ
(kay vi pheak sass)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Korean:
해부학
(haebuhak)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Korean:
해부
(haebu)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Central Kurdish:
توێکاری
(twêkarî)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Latin:
anatomia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Latvian:
anatomija
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Lithuanian:
anatomija
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Malay:
anatomi
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Malay:
kaji bina tubuh
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Māori:
mātai tinana
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Norwegian Bokmål:
anatomi
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Norwegian Nynorsk:
anatomi
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Persian:
کالبدشناسی
(kâlbod-šenâsi)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Persian:
آناتومی
(ânâtomi)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Polish:
anatomia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Portuguese:
anatomia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Romanian:
anatomie
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Russian:
анатомирова́ние
(anatomirovánije)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Russian:
анато́мия
(anatómija)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Samogitian:
anatuomėjė
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Serbo-Croatian:
анато̀мија
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Serbo-Croatian:
anatòmija
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Slovak:
anatómia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Spanish:
anatomía
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Swahili:
anatomia
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Swedish:
anatomi
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Tagalog:
anatomiya
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Tamil:
உடற்கூற்றியல்
(uṭaṟkūṟṟiyal)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Thai:
กายวิภาคศาสตร์
(gaai-yá-wí-pâak-ká-sàat)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Turkish:
anatomi
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Turkish:
yapıbilim
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Ukrainian:
анато́мія
(anatómija)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Uyghur:
ئاناتومىيە
(anatomiye)
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Vietnamese:
giải phẫu học
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body
Volapük:
naatom
— art of studying the different parts of any organized body