Directional terms + body planes

part of intro to anatomy unit

superior (cranial)

towards the head end; upper part of the body

inferior (caudal)

away from the head end; lower part of the body

ventral (anterior)

front of the body

dorsal (posterior)

back of the body

medial

toward or at the midline of the body

lateral

away from the midline of the body

intermediate

between the medial and the lateral

proximal

closest to the point of attachment of a limb

distal

farthest away from the point of attachment of a limb (use the word distal as far away)

superficial (external)

towards or at the body surface

deep (internal)

away from the surface of the body

sagittal

a vertical plane that divides the body into left or right

median/midsagittal plane

a vertical plane that lies in the middle of the body

parasagittal plane

a vertical plane that lies off center, either left or right

frontal/coronal plane

a vertical plane that divides the body into anteri\or (front) and posterior (back)

transverse/horizontal plane

a horizontal plane that divides the body into inferior (bottom) and superior (top)

oblique plane

any planes that are diagonal to the horizontal and vertical planes used to section the body at a tilt.