English
anatomy
Anatomy comes from Ancient Greek ἀνατομή ‘dissection’, and goes back to ἀνατέμνω ‘to cut open’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνατέμνω1anatémnō‘to cut open’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνατομή1anatomḗ‘dissection’literally ‘cutting up’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanatomia1
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400anatomie1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500anatomie1
- Englishearliest quotation 1695anatomy1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English anatomy
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1695, Charles Alphonse du Fresnoy, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting: “Let the muscles be well inserted and bound together,…”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνατέμνωWiktionary, English anatomyanatémnō‘to cut open’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνατομήWiktionary, English anatomyanatomḗ‘dissection’literally ‘cutting up’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanatomiaWiktionary, English anatomy
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400anatomieWiktionary, English anatomy
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500anatomieWiktionary, English anatomy
- Englishearliest quotation 1695anatomyWiktionary, English anatomy. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1695, Charles Alphonse du Fresnoy, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting: “Let the muscles be well inserted and bound together,…”
A compound of ᾰ̓νᾰ́ ‘[with genitive] (rare) on board’ + τέμνω ‘to cut’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- ‘on, onto’
Proto-Hellenic *aná ‘up, upon’
Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ́ ‘[with genitive] (rare) on board’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- ‘on, onto’
Proto-Hellenic *aná ‘up, upon’
Ancient Greek τέμνω ‘to cut’
Linked words
pairs
- anatomy and atom both from Ancient Greek τέμνω ‘to cut’
Every English word from Ancient Greek ἀνατέμνω
Today it means
noun The science that deals with the form and structure of organic bodies; anatomical structure or organization.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “anatomy”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἀνατέμνω / anatomy