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dissect.

To study an animal's anatomy by cutting it apart; to perform a necropsy or an autopsy.

7 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/dɪˈsɛkt/UK/daɪˈsɛkt/UK/dɪˈsɛkt/US/daɪˈsɛkt/US
  1. To study an animal's anatomy by cutting it apart; to perform a necropsy or an autopsy.

    transitive
  2. To study a plant's or other organism's anatomy similarly.

    transitive
  3. To analyze an idea in detail by delineating between its parts.

    figuratively · transitive
  4. To decontextualize an idea, especially through overanalysis by delineating between its parts too strongly based on style, usually involving pedantry, at the expense of substance.

    derogatory · figuratively · transitive
  5. To separate muscles, organs, etc. without cutting into them or disrupting their architecture.

    transitive
    Now dissect the triceps away from its attachment on the humerus.
  6. Of an infection or foreign material, following the fascia separating muscles or other organs.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Borrowed from Latin dissectus past participle of dissecare (“to cut asunder, cut up”), from dis- (“asunder”) + secare (“to cut”); see section.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.