A & P Terminology

Front 1

Superior:

Back 1

above (ex: head is superior to feet).

Front 2

Inferior:

Back 2

below (ex: feet are inferior to the head).

Front 3

Cephalic:

Back 3

relative term meaning nearer to the head (ex: collar bone is cephalic to the sternum).

Front 4

Caudal:

Back 4

relative term meaning nearer to the tail (ex: sternum is caudal to the collar bone).

Front 5

Anterior:

Back 5

toward the front of the body (ex: the nose is anterior to the brain).

Front 6

Posterior:

Back 6

toward the back of the body (ex: the brain is posterior to the nose)

Front 7

Ventral:

Back 7

toward the belly; equivalent to anterior (ex: the breast is ventral to the spine)

Front 8

Dorsal:

Back 8

toward the back; equivalent to posterior (ex: the spine is dorsal to the breast).

Front 9

Proximal:

Back 9

nearer to point of reference or attachment (ex: the shoulder is proximal to the elbow or the elbow is proximal to the wrist)

Front 10

Distal:

Back 10

farther away from a point of reference or attachment (ex: the elbow is distal to the shoulder or the wrist is distal to the elbow.

Front 11

Lateral:

Back 11

away from the median plane of the body (ex: the shoulder is lateral to the head or the ear is lateral to the brain).

Front 12

Medial:

Back 12

toward median plane of the body (ex: the head is medial to the shoulder or the nose is medial to the cheek).

Front 13

Superficial:

Back 13

toward, at, or pertaining to the surface (ex: the skin is superficial to the muscles).

Front 14

Deep:

Back 14

away from or below the surface (ex: the muscles are deep to the skin).