Anatomical Position, Directional Terms, and Body Planes

Vocabulary terms covering anatomical orientation, directional relationships, and the major planes of the body.

Anatomical position

The orientation of the human body when it is upright and facing you with the palms of the hands facing forward.

Superior

A directional term indicating one part of the body is higher or more cranial than another; for example, the nose is superior to the chin.

Inferior

A directional term indicating one part of the body is lower than another; for example, the abdomen is inferior to the thorax.

Lateral

A term used when a body part is farther away from the body’s midline when compared to another body part.

Medial

A term used when a body part is closer to the midline of the body, arm, leg, foot, or hand than some other body part.

Proximal

A directional term referring to the area of origin of a long structure or appendage.

Distal

A directional term referring to the area at or nearer the end of a long structure or appendage.

Anterior

A directional term meaning towards the front.

Posterior

A directional term meaning towards the back.

Right and Left

Orientation terms that always refer to the specimen’s side, not the side of the person viewing the specimen.

Frontal Plane

A plane that sections the body into front and back portions; can be shallow (face) or deeper (shoulders).

Midsaggital Plane

A slice of a specimen from top to bottom right down the midline.

Saggital Plane

A section from top to bottom; if not on the midline, it is a saggital section but not midsaggital.

Transverse Plane

A plane that sections the body horizontally, similar to how a waterline would section a person standing in water.