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This position provides a definition of what is at the front ("anterior"), behind ("posterior") and so on. As part of defining and describing terms, the body is described through the use of anatomical planes and anatomical axes. The meaning of terms that are used can change depending on whether an organism is bipedal or quadrupedal.
These terms come from Latin words with similar meanings, ab-being the Latin prefix indicating ' away ', ad-indicating ' toward ', and ducere meaning ' to draw or pull '. [ b ] Abduction is a motion that pulls a structure or part away from the midline of the body, carried out by one or more abductor muscles.
"Caudal" means "towards the tail (Latin cauda"), but not "towards the back of the cranial cavity", which is "posterior" (behind, in ordinary motion). The rostro-caudal axis of the human central nervous system (magenta in the diagram) makes a near 90° bend at the level of the midbrain and continues through the brain-stem and spinal cord.
The direction toward the front of the head or the lips, as opposed to posterior, which refers to the directions toward the back of an individual's head. The term anterior teeth refers to incisors and canines, as opposed to premolars and molars, which are posterior teeth. [1] Apical The direction toward the root tip(s) or apex(es) of a tooth ...
Meaning Origin language and etymology Example(s) capill-of or pertaining to hair Latin capillus, hair capillus: capit-pertaining to the head as a whole Latin caput, capit-, the head capitation, decapitation carcin-cancer: Greek καρκίνος (karkínos), crab carcinoma: cardi-of or pertaining to the heart: Greek καρδία (kardía), heart ...
Anatomical terminology follows a regular morphology, with consistent prefixes and suffixes are used to modify different roots. The root of a term often refers to an organ or tissue. For example, the Latin name musculus biceps brachii can be broken down: musculus meaning muscle, biceps meaning "two-headed", and brachii referring to the arm ...
In medical disciplines, all references to a location on or in the body are made based upon the standard anatomical position. A straight position is assumed when describing a proximo-distal axis (towards or away from a point of attachment). This helps avoid confusion in terminology when referring to the same organism in different postures.
Some of these terms come from Latin. Sagittal means "like an arrow", a reference to the position of the spine that naturally divides the body into right and left equal halves, the exact meaning of the term "midsagittal", or to the shape of the sagittal suture, which defines the sagittal plane and is shaped like an arrow.