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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 ...
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.
An example of a non-egocentric view is page layout, where the relative terms "upper half" "left margin," etc. are defined in terms of the observer but employed in reverse for a type compositor, returning to an egocentric view. In medicine and science, where precise definitions are crucial, relative directions (left and right) are the sides of ...
Lateral – spanning the width of a body. The distinction between width and length may be unclear out of context. Adjacent – next to; Lineal – following along a given path. The shape of the path is not necessarily straight (compare to linear). For instance, a length of rope might be measured in lineal meters or feet.
Examples: The thumb is on the radial side of the hand (the same as saying the lateral side); the ulnar side of the wrist is the side toward the little finger (medial side). Ventral and dorsal , which describe structures derived from the front (ventral) and back (dorsal) of the embryo , before limb rotation.
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.
This glossary of geography terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in geography and related fields, including Earth science, oceanography, cartography, and human geography, as well as those describing spatial dimension, topographical features, natural resources, and the collection, analysis, and visualization of geographic ...