dissect
dissect Lexical Profile
dissect Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To analyze, examine, or criticize something in minute detail.
"The legal team spent the entire weekend trying to dissect every clause of the proposed merger agreement."
To methodically cut up a body, plant, or organ in order to study its internal anatomical structure.
"In the biology laboratory, students learned how to carefully dissect a preserved frog to examine its circulatory system."
To divide or cut a region, landscape, or surface into separate parts, especially by crossing it with rivers, valleys, or roads.
"Deep glacial valleys dissect the mountain plateau into a series of isolated ridges."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Dissect' (from Latin 'secare', to cut) is frequently misspelled as 'bisect' or with a single 's' because speakers associate it with the prefix 'di-' (two) rather than 'dis-' (apart).
• Rhymes for dissect
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Latin 'dissectus', the past participle of 'dissecare' (to cut apart), formed from 'dis-' (apart) and 'secare' (to cut).