Anatomical Directions

Front

Anatomical Position Noun

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[an-uh-tom-i-kuhl puh-zish-uhn]

Back

Anatomical Position

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A standard reference pose where the body is upright, facing forward, with arms at the sides and palms facing forward.

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Example: This diagram shows a person in the standard anatomical position (standing, palms forward) and labels the key directional terms used to describe locations on the body.

Front

Anterior Adjective

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[an-teer-ee-er]

Back

Anterior

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Pertaining to or situated at or near the front of the body; the ventral side of the human body.

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Example: This diagram shows a human figure with an arrow pointing forward, labeled 'Anterior,' to illustrate that this anatomical term means toward the front of the body.

Front

Posterior Adjective

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[pos-teer-ee-er]

Back

Posterior

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Pertaining to or situated at or near the back of the body; the dorsal side of the human body.

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Example: This image shows the posterior, or back, view of the human body, illustrating the major muscles of the back and shoulders.

Front

Superior Adjective

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[soo-peer-ee-er]

Back

Superior

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Located toward the head end or upper part of a structure or the body; situated above another part.

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Example: In anatomy, 'superior' refers to the direction towards the head or the upper part of a structure, as shown by the upward arrow.

Front

Inferior Adjective

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[in-feer-ee-er]

Back

Inferior

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Located away from the head end or toward the lower part of a structure or the body; situated below.

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Example: In anatomical terms, 'inferior' refers to a position that is lower or toward the feet, as shown by the arrow pointing down the body.

Front

Medial Adjective

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[mee-dee-uhl]

Back

Medial

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Pertaining to, situated in, or extending toward the middle or midline of the body or a structure.

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Example: This diagram shows that 'medial' refers to moving toward the body's midline, an imaginary line dividing the body into left and right halves.

Front

Lateral Adjective

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[lat-er-uhl]

Back

Lateral

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Pertaining to, situated at, or extending toward the side of the body, away from the midline.

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Example: This diagram shows that 'lateral' is an anatomical direction pointing away from the midline of the body, as indicated by the outward-pointing arrows.

Front

Midline Noun

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[mid-lahyn]

Back

Midline

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An imaginary vertical line that divides a body or structure into equal right and left halves.

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Example: This diagram shows the anatomical midline, an imaginary vertical line that divides the body into equal left and right halves.

Front

Proximal Adjective

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[prok-si-muhl]

Back

Proximal

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Situated closer to the center of the body or the point of attachment of a limb to the trunk.

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Example: This diagram of the arm skeleton shows that 'Proximal' refers to the part closer to the body's trunk, like the shoulder, relative to other parts.

Front

Distal Adjective

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[dis-tl]

Back

Distal

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Situated farther from the center of the body or from the point of attachment of a limb to the trunk.

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Example: This diagram shows that 'distal' refers to a body part being farther from the center of the body, like how the hand is distal to the shoulder.