Dissect

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /dɪˈsÉ›kt/
• US IPA: /dɪˈsÉ›kt/, /daɪˈsÉ›kt/
• Rhymes: -É›kt

Origin

From Latin dissecare ("to cut asunder, cut up"), from dis- ("asunder") + secare ("to cut"); see section.

Full definition of dissect

Verb

1. (transitive) To study an animal's anatomy by cutting it apart; to perform a necropsy or an autopsy.
2. (transitive) To study a plant or other organism's anatomy similarly.
3. (transitive) To analyze an idea in detail by separating it into its parts.
4. (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.
5. (transitive, pathology) Of an infection or foreign material, following the fascia separating muscles or other organs.

Derived terms

• dissection