Anatomical Terms 1.6 - Trident Technical College, 2025

Anatomical Position

body standing upright, with the feet at shoulder width & parallel, toes forward. Upper limbs are held out to each side & palms of the hands face forward.

Prone

face down orientation. (Lying down)

Supine

face up orientation

Frons

forehead (frontal)

Cranium

skull (cranial)

Oculus

eye (orbital or ocular)

Bucca

cheek (buccal)

Facies

face (facial)

Auris

ear (otic)

Nasus

nose (nasal)

Cervicis

neck (cervical)

Ortis

mouth (oral)

Mentis

chin (mental)

Thorcis or Thorax

chest (thoracic)

Axilla

armpit (axillary)

Mamma

breast (mammary)

Brachium

arm (brachial)

Antecubitis

front of elbow (antecubital)

Abdomen

abdominal

Umbilicus

navel (umbilical)

Antebrachium

forearm (antebrachial)

Hip

(coxal)

Carpus

wrist (carpal)

Pollex

thumb

Pelvis

9pelvic)

Palma

palm (palmar)

Inguen or groin

(inguinal)

Digits (phalanges) Hand

fingers (digital or phalangeal)

Pubis

(pubic)

Patella

the knee cap (patellar)

Crus

leg (crural)

Femur

thigh (femoral)

Tarsus

ankle (tarsal)

Digits (phalanges) Foot

toes (digits or phalangeal)

Hallux

great toe

Shoulder

(acromial)

Cephalon

head (cephalic)

Dorsum

back (dorsal)

Olecranon

back of elbow (olecranal)

Lumbus

loin (lumbar)

Sacrum

(sacral)

Manus

hand (manual)

Gluteus

buttock (gluteal)

Popliteus

back of knee (popliteal)

Sura

calf (sural)

Calcaneus

heal of foot

Planta

sole of foot (plantar)

Directional Terms

essential for describing the relative locations of different body structures

Anterior (or Ventral)

front or direction toward front of body

Posterior (or dorsal)

the back or direction toward the back of the body

Superior (or cranial)

a position above or higher than another part the body proper.

Inferior (or caudal)

a position below or lower than another part of the body proper/near or toward the tail

Lateral

the side or direction toward the side of the body

Medial

the middle or direction toward the middle of the body

Proximal

a position in a limp that's nearer to the point of attachment or trunk of the body

Distal

a position in a limb that is farther from the point of attachment or trunk of the body

Superficial

closer to the surface of the body

Deep

a position farther from the surface of the body

Section

a 2

Plane

an imaginary 2

Sagittal Plane

the plane that divides the body or organ vertically into right and left sides

Midsagittal or Median Plane

plane that divides the body or organ equally in the middle

Parasagittal or Longitudinal Plane

plane that divides the body or organ unequally in the middle

Frontal Plane

plane that divides body or organ into an anterior (front) portion and a posterior (rear) portion/ also referred to as a coronal plane

Transverse Plane

the plane that divides the body or organ horizontally into upper and lower portions/ produce images referred to as cross sections

Dorsal (posterior) Cavity

largest body compartment: cranial cavity & spinal cavity

Ventral (anterior) Cavity

largest body compartment: thoracic cavity & abdominopelvic cavity

Cranial Cavity

houses the brain

Spinal Cavity

encloses the spinal cord

Thoracic Cavity

enclosed by the ribcage/ contains the lung and heart (located in the mediastinum)/diaphragm forms the floor and separates it from the abdominopelvic cavity

Abdominopelvic Cavity

largest cavity in the body. Abdominal cavity houses digestive organs and Pelvic cavity house reproductive organs. No membranes so separate.

Serous Membrane

one of the thin membranes that cover the walls and organs in the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities. (serosa)

Parietal Layer

line the walls and body cavity

Visceral Layer

covers the organs

Pleura

the serous membrane that surrounds the lungs in the pleural cavity

Pericardium

the serous membrane that surrounds the heart in the pericardial cavity

Peritoneum

the serous membrane that surrounds several organs in the abdominopelvic cavity