Anatomic_Terms

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Essential Anatomic Terms 
and Anatomic Images 
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Aponeurosis: expanded tendon for the attachment of a flat muscle..   Artery (a.): a vessel carrying blood from the heart through the body.   Articulation: connection between bones.   Autonomic nervous system: for the innervation of smooth muscle, heart muscle, and glands, consisting of a craniosacral (parasympathetic) and thoracolumbar (sympathetic) portion.  
Belly: fleshy part of a muscle.   Body: broadest or longest mass of a bone.   Bone: inflexible structure composing skeleton.  
Capillary: anatomic units connecting the arterial and venous systems; minute vessels, func­tional units of the circulatory system.   Cartilage: substance from which some bone ossifies; gristle.   Cell: the structural and functional body unit.   Central nervous system (C.N.S.): the brain and spinal cord.   Condyle: polished articular surface, usually rounded.   Crest: ridge or border.  
Diaphysis: the shaft of a long cylindrical bone..  
Eminence: low convexity just perceptible.   Endocrine: internal secretion without the use of glandular ducts.     Epicondyle: elevation near and above a condyle.   Epiphyseal plate (line): growth center for elongation of bone, found between shaft and extremities of the bone.   Epiphysis: the extremity or head of a long bone.   Exocrine: secretion discharged by way of a duct system.  
Facet: small articular area, often a pit.   Fascia: fibrous envelopment of muscle structures and other tissues.   Foramen: hole, perforation.   Fossa: shallow depression.  
Ganglion: group of nerve cell bodies outside the central nervous system.   
Head: enlarged round end of a long bone; knob.  
Insertion: relatively movable part of a muscle attachment.  
Joint: connection between bones.  
Ligament: fibrous tissue binding bones together or holding tendons and muscles in place.   Lymph vessels: like veins but walls are thinner and valves more numerous; drain tissue spaces.  
Mesentery: a double layer of peritoneum (mesothelium), usually supporting organs.   Muscle (m.): contractile organ capable of producing movement.  
Neck: constriction of a bone near head.   Nerve (n.): a group of fibers outside the central nervous system.   Neuron: nerve cell body plus its processes.   Nucleus: group of nerve cell bodies within the central nervous system.  
Omentum: a fold of peritoneum connecting abdominal viscera with the stomach.   Organ: 2 or more tissues grouped together to perform a highly specialized function.   Origin: relatively fixed part of a muscle attachment.  
Peripheral nervous system (P.N.S.): cerebrospinal nerves and the peripheral parts of the autonomic nervous system.   Process: projection (can be grasped with fingers).   Protuberance: a swelling (can be felt under fingers).  
Ramus: plate like branch of a bone; branch of a vessel or nerve.   Ramus communicans: a nerve branch from the anterior root of a spinal nerve to the sympa­thetic chain of ganglia; white-nerve to chain; gray-chain back to spinal nerve.  
Shaft: body of a long bone.   Sheath: protective covering.   Spine: pointed projection or sharp ridge.   Suture: interlocking of teeth like edges.   Symphysis: union of right and left sides in the midline.   System: group of organs acting together to perform a highly complex but specialized function, such as nervous, skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, endocrine, and reproductive.   Tendon: fibrous tissue securing a muscle to its attachment.   Tissue: differentiation and specialization of groups of cells bound together to perform a special function, e.g., epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous.   Trochanter: 1 or 2 processes on the upper part of the femur below neck.   Trochlea: spool-shaped articular surface.   Tubercle: small bump (can be felt under finger).   Tuberosity: large and conspicuous bump.  
Vein (v): a vessel returning blood to the heart.       Anatomical Terms of Direction and Movement.
    Abduction (abd.): draws away from midline.   Adduction (add.): draws toward the midline. Anatomic position: standing erect with arms at the sides and palms of the hands turned forward.   Anterior (ant.) or ventral (vent.): situated before or in front  
Corrugator: that which wrinkles skin, draws skin in.  
Deep: farther from the surface (in a solid form).   Depressor: that which lowers.   Distal (dist.): farther from the root.   Dorsal (dors.): toward the rear, back; also back of hand and top of foot.  
Erector: that which draws upward.   Evert (ever.): turn outward (as foot at ankle joint).   Extension (ext.): straightening.   External (extern.): outside, refers to wall of cavity or hollow form).  
Flexion (flex.): bending or angulation.   Frontal (front.) or coronal (coron.): vertical; at right angles to sagittal; divides body into anterior and posterior parts  
Horizontal (horiz.): at right angles to vertical.  
Inferior (inf.): lower, farther from crown of head.   Internal (int.): inside (refers to wall of cavity or hollow form).   Inverted (invert.): turned inward (as foot at ankle joint).  
Lateral (lat.): .): farther from midline (or center plane).   Levator (lev.): that which raises.   Longitudinal (longit.): refers to long axis.  
Medial (med.): nearer to midline (or center plane).   Median: midway, being in the middle   Midline: divides body into a right and left side.   Midsagittal: vertical plane at midline dividing body into right and left halves  
Palmar (palm.) or volar (vol.): palm side of hand   Plantar (plant.): sole side of foot   Posterior (post.) or dorsal (dors.): rear or back   Pronator (pronat.): that which turns palm of hand downward.   Prone: forearm and hand turned palm side down; body lying face down.   Proximal (prox.): nearer to limb root.  
Rotator (rotat.): that which causes to revolve  
Sagittal (sagit.): vertical plane or section dividing body into right and left portions.   Sphincter: that which regulates closing of aperture.   Superficial (superf.): nearer to surface (refers to solid form).   Superior (sup.): upper, nearer to crown of head.   Supinator (supinat.): that which turns palm of hand upward.   Supine: forearm and hand turned palm side up; body lying face up.  
Tensor (tens.): that which draws tight   Transverse (trans.): at right angles to long axis; body divided into upper and lower parts.   Ventral (vent.) or anterior (ant.): situated before or in front of.   Vertical (vert.): refers to long axis in erect position.   Volar (vol.) or palmar (palm.): palm side of hand.   Library

Anatomic Images
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