What does "anatomy" mean?
The art of studying the different parts of any organized body, to discover their situation, structure, and economy.
Anatomy
/əˈnæt.ə.mi/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The art of studying the different parts of any organized body, to discover their situation, structure, and economy.
- Grammar: anatomy is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aerobiology, agrobiology, amnion, analysis.
- Useful contrasts: french physiologie, organismal behavior, organismal physiologies.
- Usage evidence: What part of Betty Grable's anatomy was famously insured for $1,000,000?
How to use "anatomy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "anatomy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "anatomy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "anatomy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "anatomy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "anatomy" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aerobiology" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "anatomy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The art of studying the different parts of any organized body, to discover their situation, structure, and economy. countable, uncountable
- 2 a detailed analysis wordnet
- 3 The science that deals with the form and structure of organic bodies; anatomical structure or organization. countable, uncountable
"Animal anatomy is also called zootomy; vegetable anatomy, phytotomy; and human anatomy, anthropotomy."
- 4 alternative names for the body of a human being wordnet
- 5 A treatise or book on anatomy. countable
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals wordnet
- 7 The act of dividing anything, corporeal or intellectual, for the purpose of examining its parts. broadly, countable, uncountable
"the anatomy of a discourse"
- 8 The form of an individual. colloquial, countable, uncountable
"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."
- 9 The human body, especially in reference to the genitals. countable, euphemistic, uncountable
"His extraordinary suggestion is that the future PM inserted a private part of his anatomy into the animal's mouth."
- 10 A skeleton or other dead body. archaic, countable
"So did the Ægyptians, who in the middest of their banquetings, and in the full of their greatest cheere, caused the anatomy of a dead man to be brought before them, as a memorandum and warning to their guests."
- 11 The physical or functional organization of an organism, or part of it. countable, uncountable
"The yawning gap in neuroscientists’ understanding of their topic is in the intermediate scale of the brain’s anatomy. Science has a passable knowledge of how individual nerve cells, known as neurons, work. It also knows which visible lobes and ganglia of the brain do what. But how the neurons are organised in these lobes and ganglia remains obscure."
Antonyms
Example
"What part of Betty Grable's anatomy was famously insured for $1,000,000?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "anatomy"?
Common synonyms include: aerobiology, agrobiology, amnion, analysis, analyzation, anatomicality.
How do you use "anatomy" in a sentence?
What part of Betty Grable's anatomy was famously insured for $1,000,000?
How do you pronounce "anatomy"?
Pronounced /əˈnæt.ə.mi/.
Etymology
From Middle English anatomie, from Old French anatomie, from Latin anatomia, from Ancient Greek *ἀνατομία (*anatomía), from ἀνατομή (anatomḗ, “dissection”, literally “cutting up”), from ἀνά (aná, “up”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut, incise”). By surface analysis, ana- + -tomy. Doublet of ottomy.