English
anatomy
Anatomy comes from Ancient Greek ἀνατομή ‘dissection’, and goes back to ἀνατέμνω ‘to cut open’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνατέμνωanatémnō‘to cut open’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀνατομήanatomḗ‘dissection’literally ‘cutting up’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanatomia
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400anatomie
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1695anatomy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνατέμνωanatémnō‘to cut open’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀνατομήanatomḗ‘dissection’literally ‘cutting up’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanatomia
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400anatomie
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1695anatomy
Earliest quotation: 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’ + ἀνα- + 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.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἀνατέμνω / anatomy