anatomical terms

superior (cranial)

toward the head or upper part of the body

inferior (caudal)

away from the head or toward the lower part of the body

anterior (ventral)

toward or at the front of the body

posterior (dorsal)

toward or at the back of the body

medial

toward or at the midline of the body

lateral

away from the midline of the body

proximal

closer to the point of attachment (usually shoulder/hip/trunk)

distal

farther from the point of attachment or origin

superficial

toward or at the body surface

deep

away from the body surface; more internal

flat bones

layer of spongy bone between two thin layers (ex: left parietal bone (brain/skull))

long bones

longer than it is wide; has a shaft, two ends (that contain spongy bone), and a thick outside layer with a marrow filled cavity

irregular bones

thin layers of spongy bone surrounded by compact bone

short bones

roughly a cube shape with vertical and horizontal dimensions being approximately equal (consist of mostly spongy bone, but outside surface is a thin layer of compact)

sagittal plane

a vertical cut that splits the body into left and right sections

midsaggital plane (median)

cuts down in the middle

frontal (coronal) plane

a vertical cut that splits the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) sections

transverse plane

a horizontal cut that splits the body into top (superior) and bottom (inferior)

oblique plane

a cut made at any angle other than a perfect vertical or horizontal line

dorsal cavity

back side

thoracic cavity

chest area

abdominopelvic cavity

the lower belly and hip area

ventral cavity

front side

cranial cavity

contains the brain

vertebral (spine) cavity

contains the spinal cord