Dissect
/dɪˈsɛkt/noun
To cut apart or analyze in detail.
Did you know?Dissect comes from Latin *dissecare*, and its deeper roots trace to the same ancient cutting root that gave English **section**, **sector**, and **segregate**—language built from the act of splitting things open.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sek-
“to cut”
Latin
Latin
secare
“to cut”
Latin
Latin
dissecare
“to cut apart, divide by cutting”
Late Middle English
English
dissecten
“to cut apart, especially in anatomy”
Modern English
English
dissect
“to cut apart or analyze in detail”