Anatomical Terminology

Standard anatomical terminology is universally used to study the human body's structure and internal organization.

These terms often have Greek or Latin-derived roots, prefixes, or suffixes. The root is the central portion of the word that can refer to an organ, tissue, or condition.  

For example, the root gastro-refers to the stomach. Adding epi, meaning above, as a prefix before the root creates the term epigastric, which describes the location above the stomach.

The suffix itis refers to inflammation. Linking itis to the root arthro-, meaning joints, forms the term arthritis. Similarly, bronchitis and gastritis mean inflammation of a part of the lungs and the stomach, respectively.

Similarly, to understand anatomical directions, anatomists use the standard anatomical reference position. For example, when a person is standing upright facing forward, the front of the body is called the anterior or ventral side, and the back is the posterior or dorsal side.

Thus, the heart is anterior to the spine and posterior to the sternum.