dissection
dissection Lexical Profile
dissection Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The act or process of methodically cutting apart a dead animal, human body, or plant to study its internal anatomical structure.
"The biology curriculum includes the careful dissection of a preserved frog to help students understand vertebrate anatomy."
A minute, systematic examination or critical analysis of a complex text, argument, or problem by breaking it down into its component parts.
"Her latest essay offers a brilliant dissection of the economic policies that led to the housing crisis."
In medicine, the abnormal splitting or separation of the layers of an arterial wall, allowing blood to flow between them.
"The patient was rushed into emergency surgery after a CT scan revealed an acute aortic dissection."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'dissection' (cutting something apart for scientific study, from 'dissect') with 'bisection' (dividing something into two equal halves, from 'bisect'). Furthermore, avoid the common misspelling and mispronunciation 'disection' with a single 's'.
• Rhymes for dissection
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Middle French or directly from Post-Classical Latin 'dissectio', a noun of action from the past participle stem of Latin 'dissecare' ('to cut asunder'), formed from 'dis-' ('apart') and 'secare' ('to cut').