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Many anatomical terms can be combined, either to indicate a position in two axes simultaneously or to indicate the direction of a movement relative to the body. For example, "anterolateral" indicates a position that is both anterior and lateral to the body axis (such as the bulk of the pectoralis major muscle).
An anatomical plane is a hypothetical plane used to transect the body, in order to describe the location of structures or the direction of movements. In human and non-human anatomy, three principal planes are used: The sagittal plane or lateral plane (longitudinal, anteroposterior) is a plane parallel to the sagittal suture. It divides the body ...
Forward is defined as the direction in which the object is moving. Backward is then defined as the opposite direction to forward. Alternatively, 'forward' may be the direction pointed by the observer's nose, defining 'backward' as the direction from the nose to the sagittal border in the observer's skull. With respect to a ship 'forward' would ...
The three anatomical planes of the body: the sagittal, transverse (or horizontal), frontal planes. Anatomy is often described in planes, referring to two-dimensional sections of the body. A section is a two-dimensional surface of a three-dimensional structure that has been cut. A plane is an imaginary two-dimensional surface that passes through ...
Anatomical "lines", or "reference lines," are theoretical lines drawn through anatomical structures and are used to describe anatomical location. The following reference lines are identified in Terminologia Anatomica: Anterior median line; Lateral sternal line: A vertical line corresponding to the lateral margin of the sternum.
The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative to the anatomical position of the body parts involved. Anatomists and others use a unified set of terms to describe most of the movements, although other, more specialized terms are necessary for describing unique movements such as those of the hands, feet, and eyes.
Parallel – in the same direction. Transverse – intersecting at any angle, i.e. not parallel. Orthogonal (or perpendicular) – at a right angle (at the point of intersection). Elevation – along a curve from a point on the horizon to the zenith, directly overhead. Depression – along a curve from a point on the horizon to the nadir ...
For some uses, where it is necessary to avoid confusion from differences in viewpoint, separate terminology is used to describe the sides of things. For example, proper right and proper left are conceptual terms used to unambiguously convey relative direction when describing an image or other object. The "proper right" hand of a figure is the ...