​What are anatomical terms?

​Anatomical terms are used to describe specific areas and movement of the body as well as the relation of the body parts to each other

​Anatomical Terms

​Medial- Toward the midline of the body

Lateral- Away from the midline of the body

Proximal- Toward the reference point (extremity)

Distal- Away from a reference point (extremity)

Inferior- Lower or below

Superior- Upper or above

​Anatomical terms

​Cephalad or Cranial- Head

Caudal or Caudad- Tail, Tail end

Anterior- Toward the front

Posterior- Toward the back

Dorsal- Posterior

Ventral- Anterior

​Anatomical Planes

​Sagittal plane- Separates the left and right sides of the body.

Coronal plane- Separates the front (anterior) and back (posterior) of the body.

Transverse plane- Separates the upper (superior) and lower (inferior) halves of the body.