superior
always appear above other structures
inferior
always below other structures
anterior
structures that are most forward (e.g. the face, chest, and abdomen)
posterior
structures that are toward the backside of the body
medial
toward the midline
lateral
away from the midline or median plane
cephalad, cranial
toward the head
caudal
toward the tail
superior, inferior, anterior, posterior
In humans, these terms (cranial, caudal) are used interchangeably with ______ and _______ but in vertebrates, they are synonymous with _______ and ________ respectively.
dorsal
animal's back or the backside of any other structures, human posterior = animal ______
ventral
refers to the belly side of animals
anterior, posterior, inferior, superior
in humans the terms ventral and dorsal are used interchangeably with the terms ________ and _________. In four-legged animals, ventral and dorsal are synonymous with ________ and _______ respectively
proximal
nearer the trunk or attached end
distal
farther from the trunk or point of attachment
superficial, external
toward or at the body surface
deep, internal
away from the body surface
frontal plane
median plane, midsagittal plane
transverse plane
section
a slice of tissue, made through a body wall or through an organ
plane
an imaginary surface or line
sagittal plane
a plane that runs longitudinally and divides the body into right and left parts
median, midsagittal plane
if a plane divides the body into equal parts, right down the median plane of the body, it is called a ______, or ________ _____
parasagittal planes
all other sagittal planes are referred to as
frontal plane
sometimes called a coronal plane, the ______ _____ is a longitudinal plane that divides the body into anterior and posterior parts
transverse plane
runs horizontally, dividing the body into superior and inferior parts
cross sections
When organs are sectioned along the transverse plane, the sections are commonly called ____ _______