Anatomical Terminology

4. caudal/ lower portion/below structure of the body
5. can think of as external- towards the surface of a structure of the body, like skin
7. rotation of arm so palm is facing anterior with straight arm, or upward with arm bent (think of eating soup)
9. opposite side of the body
10. dorsal/ toward back or behind structure of the body
11. can think of as internal, is away from the surface of a structure of the body, like a bone
12. movement around a joint bring two adjacent bones or body segments farther apart
14. plane/ split body in half between left and right
18. rotation of arm and hand so palm is facing posteriorly with straight arm and down with bent arm
20. think of “abduction, or taking away”- movement of structure away from midline
21. coronal plane/ separates body into front and back
23. movement around a joint bring two segments of adjacent bones or body parts closer together
24. ventral/ toward front or in front of structure of body
25. anatomical position of the body with face and ventral surface of the body facing downward

1. anatomical position of body with face and ventral surface of body facing upward
2. away from central axis
3. plane/ splits the body between left and right planes
6. same side of the body
8. think of as middle, between internal and external
11. away from origin of the structure (also often used to describe limbs)
13. both sides of the body
15. think of as “adding to the body”- movement of a structure toward midline
16. horizontal plane/ divides your body between top and bottom
17. toward the origin of the structure (often used to describe limbs)
19. cranial/ toward upper portion, located above a structure of the body
22. toward midline (central axis of the body)