ANATOMICAL
TERMINOLOGY
Section 1 .7
DO NOW
 Try your best to write a sentence for each of the following
words. When possible, use anatomical parts in the sentence.
- Anterior
- Posterior
- Superior
- Inferior
- Dorsal
- Ventral
-
OBJECTIVES
 To explain relative body positions and be able to use them in
describing body parts.
 To identify the 3 types of body planes.
 To locate the dif ferent body regions.
“ANATOMICAL POSITION”
 Body is standing erect
 Upper limbs at sides
 Palms forward
RELATIVE POSITIONS
 1 . Superior:
 “above”
 Ex: your nose is superior to
your mouth
 2. Inferior:
 “below”
 Ex: your mouth is inferior to
your nose
RELATIVE POSITIONS
 3. Anterior/ventral:
 “in front”
 Ex: your eyes are anterior to
your brain
 4. Posterior/dorsal:
 “in back”
 Ex: the pharynx is posterior to
the oral cavity
RELATIVE POSITIONS
 5.Medial:
 Closer to the center of the body
 Ex: your nose is medial to your
eyes
 6. Lateral:
 Farther away from the center of
the body
 Ex: your ears are lateral to your
eyes
RELATIVE POSITIONS
 7. Proximal:
 body part that is closer to a point of
attachment to the trunk than another body
part.
 Ex: the elbow is proximal to the wrist
 8. Distal:
 Body part that is farther from a point of
attachment to the trunk than another body
part.
 Ex: the fingers are distal to the wrist
RELATIVE POSITIONS
 9. Superficial:
 Near the surface
 Ex: your epidermis is the most
superficial layer of skin.
“superficial wound” is on this
surface.
 10. Deep:
 Describes parts that are more
internal than superficial parts.
 Ex: the dermis is the deep layer
of skin. A “deep wound” would
be more problematic and
possibly require stitches.
OTHER SIMILAR TERMS
 11 .Cranial:
 Toward the skull/head
 12.Caudal:
 Toward the tail
 13. Ipsilateral:
 on the same side
 14. Contralateral:
 on the opposite side
OTHER SIMILAR TERMS
 15. Prone:
 Lying down facing down (on your stomach)
 16. Supine:
 Lying down facing up (on your back)
BODY SECTIONS
 1 . Saggital
 Divides body into left and right
portions lengthwise
 2. Transverse
 Divides body into superior and
inferior portions
 3. Coronal
 Divides body into anterior and
posterior portions
GUESS THE PLANES:
CORONAL, SAGITTAL, OR TRANSVERSE?
BODY SECTIONS AND PLANES
 Cylindrical Object
 Bone or organ
 A) Cross section
 B) Oblique section
 C) Longitudinal section
BODY REGIONS
 Terms describing dif ferent areas of the body…
 Fill the terms in on your diagram as we go through them!
1 . Abdominal- region between thorax and pelvis
2. Acromial- point of the shoulder
3. Antebrachial- forearm
4. Antecubital- space in front of the elbow
5. Axillary - armpit
6. Brachial- arm
7. Buccal- cheek
8. Carpal- wrist
9. Celiac- abdomen
BODY REGIONS CONTINUED
10. Cephalic- head
11 . Cervical- neck
12. Costal- ribs
13. Coxal- hip
14. Crural- leg
15. Cubital- elbow
16. Digital- finger
17. Dorsal- back
18. Femoral- thigh
19. Frontal- forehead
20. Genital- reproductive organs
BODY REGIONS CONTINUED
21 . Gluteal- the buttocks
22. Inguinal- groin
23. Lumbar- lower back
24. Mammary - breast
25. Mental- chin
26. Nasal- nose
27. Occipital- lower back of the head
28. Oral- mouth
29. Orbital- eye cavity
30. Otic- ear
31 . Palmar- palm of hand
32. Patellar- front of knee
33. Pectoral- chest
BODY REGIONS CONTINUED
34. Pedal- foot
35. Pelvic- pelvis
36. Perineal- region between anus and external reproductive
organs.
37. Plantar- sole of foot
38. Popliteal- area behind knee
39. Sacral- posterior region between hip bones
40. Scapular- shoulder blade
41 . Sternal- middle of thorax, anteriorly (sternum)
42. Tarsal- instep of foot
43. Umbilical- navel
44. Vertebral- spinal column
BODY REGIONS CONTINUED
*The next terms are NOT in your textbook but you are still
responsible for them.
45. Hallux- big toe
46. Pollex- thumb
47. Calcaneus- heel bone
48. Sural- calf
49. Fibular (peroneal)- side of lower leg
50. Manual- hand
ANTERIOR
VIEW
(FRONT)
POSTERIOR
VIEW
(BACK)
ABDOMINAL REGION
 The abdominal region can be separated even further.