Anatomical Terms of Location
In medicine and other science fields, standardized terms are used to describe the location of
structures in the body. These terms are used because words like above, under, up, down, and
below don’t make sense without a standard orientation. Here are some of the common terms
used instead to help locate structures more accurately:
superior- Closer to the head; toward the head.
inferior- Closer to the feet; toward the feet.
posterior (or dorsal) – Toward the back of the body. If you split the body into two parts with an
imaginary line dividing the front half of the body (containing the face) and the back half of the
body (containing the back of the head), the back half is known as the posterior surface of the
body. When the word “posterior” is used, it means that the structure is closer to the posterior
surface of the body.
anterior (or ventral)- Toward the front of the body. If you split the body into two parts with an
imaginary line dividing the front half of the body (containing the face) and the back half of the
body (containing the back of the head), the front half is known as the anterior surface of the
body. When the word “anterior” is used, it means that the structure is closer to the anterior
surface of the body.
medial- Closer to the midline of the body, or toward the midline of the body. The midline of
the body is like an imaginary line dividing the right and left sides of the body, going straight
down between the eyes, down through the middle of the torso and between the legs.
lateral- Further away from the midline of the body, or toward the side of the body. The midline
of the body is like an imaginary line dividing the right and left sides of the body, going straight
down between the eyes, down through the middle of the torso and between the legs.
proximal- Closer to the origin (or point of attachment) of a structure; toward the main mass of
the body
distal- Further away from the origin (or point of attachment) of a structure; away from the
main mass of the body
external- Toward the surface of the body; superficial.
internal- Away from the surface of the body; deep.
plantar- Relating to the sole of the foot.
origin (of a muscle)- Attachment of a muscle; usually, the origin is the attachment closer to
the main mass of the body.
insertion (of a muscle)- Attachment of a muscle; usually, the insertion is the attachment that
is more distally located (see distal, above).