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Anatomical Terms and Body Orientation Guide

Anatomical terms are derived from Greek and Latin roots and describe the orientation and positioning of structures in the human body. Terms describe whether a structure is located in the front or back (anterior/posterior), above or below (superior/inferior), to the side (lateral), in the middle (medial), closer to the point of attachment or trunk (proximal), farther from the point of attachment (distal), closer to the surface (superficial), or deeper within the body (deep). The document further describes body planes that divide the body, cavities containing internal organs, abdominal regions, and serous membranes covering body cavities and organs.

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Mhar Enriquez
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460 views3 pages

Anatomical Terms and Body Orientation Guide

Anatomical terms are derived from Greek and Latin roots and describe the orientation and positioning of structures in the human body. Terms describe whether a structure is located in the front or back (anterior/posterior), above or below (superior/inferior), to the side (lateral), in the middle (medial), closer to the point of attachment or trunk (proximal), farther from the point of attachment (distal), closer to the surface (superficial), or deeper within the body (deep). The document further describes body planes that divide the body, cavities containing internal organs, abdominal regions, and serous membranes covering body cavities and organs.

Uploaded by

Mhar Enriquez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Technological Institute of the Philippines

363 P. Casal, Quiapo, Manila, 1001 Metro Manila

Mhar Vincent M. Enriquez Prof. Rejenei dela Cruz

IT11KA2

Anatomical and Directional Terms of Human Body

Anatomical terms derive from ancient Greek and Latin words. Because these languages are
no longer used in everyday conversation, the meaning of their words does not change.

Anatomical terms are made up of roots, prefixes, and suffixes. The root of a term often refers
to an organ, tissue, or condition, whereas the prefix or suffix often describes the root. For
example, in the disorder hypertension, the prefix “hyper-” means “high” or “over,” and the root
word “tension” refers to pressure, so the word “hypertension” refers to abnormally high blood
pressure.

Anatomical Position
A body that is lying down is described as either prone or supine. Prone describes a face-down
orientation, and supine describes a face up orientation.

Directional Terms

 Anterior (or ventral) Describes the front or direction toward the front of the body. The toes are
anterior to the foot.
 Posterior (or dorsal) Describes the back or direction toward the back of the body. The
popliteus is posterior to the patella.
 Superior (or cranial) describes a position above or higher than another part of the body
proper. The orbits are superior to the oris.
 Inferior (or caudal) describes a position below or lower than another part of the body proper;
near or toward the tail (in humans, the coccyx, or lowest part of the spinal column). The pelvis
is inferior to the abdomen.
 Lateral describes the side or direction toward the side of the body. The thumb (pollex) is
lateral to the digits.
 Medial describes the middle or direction toward the middle of the body. The hallux is the
medial toe.
 Proximal describes a position in a limb that is nearer to the point of attachment or the trunk of
the body. The brachium is proximal to the antebrachium.
 Distal describes a position in a limb that is farther from the point of attachment or the trunk of
the body. The crus is distal to the femur.
 Superficial describes a position closer to the surface of the body. The skin is superficial to the
bones.
 Deep describes a position farther from the surface of the body. The brain is deep to the skull.
Body Planes

 The sagittal plane – Right and left sides, midsagittal or


parasagittal.
 The frontal plane – Front and rear division.
 The transverse plane – Upper and lower sections.

Body Cavities and Serous Membranes

These cavities contain and protect delicate internal organs, and


the ventral cavity allows for significant changes in the size and
shape of the organs as they perform their functions.

Abdominal Regions and Quadrants

Membranes of the Anterior (Ventral) Body Cavity

A serous membrane (also referred to a serosa) is one of the thin membranes that cover the
walls and organs in the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.

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