- anatomy
- late 14c., "study of the structure of living beings," from O.Fr. anatomie, from Gk. anatomia, from anatome "dissection," from ana- "up" + temnein "to cut" (see tome). "Dissection" (1540s), "mummy" (1580s), and even "skeleton" (1590s) were primary senses of this word in Shakespeare's day; meaning "the science of the structure of organized bodies" predominated from 17c. Often mistakenly divided as an atomy or a natomy.
"The scyence of the Nathomy is nedefull and necessarye to the Cyrurgyen" [1541]