BIOG221 - Directional Terms and Planes

Body directional terms and body planes.

anatomical position

standing up straight, feet together, palms out, face forward

supine

lying face upward

prone

lying face downward

medial

toward the midline of the body

lateral

away from the midline of the body

superior

above

inferior

below

cephalic

closer to the head

caudal

closer to the tail

anterior

front of the body

posterior

back of the body

dorsal

toward the back

ventral

toward the stomach

proximal

toward the point of attachment

distal

away from the point of attachment

superficial

toward/on the surface

deep

away from the surface, internal

median/midsagittal

down the midline of the body, splitting the body into left and right halves

sagittal

splitting the body into left and right sections

frontal/coronal

divides the body into posterior and anterior regions

transverse/horizontal

divides the body into superior and inferior

oblique

a cut that is NOT at a right angle