anatomic

Anatomic is an adjective relating to anatomy, the science that studies the structure of living organisms, including their organs, tissues, and cells. In scientific writing, it is used to describe the form, organization, and spatial relationships of body parts, often with reference to specimens, images, or physiological processes.

In practice, anatomical and anatomic are closely related; anatomical is more common in general usage and descriptive writing, while anatomic appears more frequently in specialized compound terms such as anatomic pathology, anatomic planes, or anatomic dead space.

Fields and terminology associated with the term include the use of anatomic terms of location and orientation to describe where structures lie relative to one another, such as anterior and posterior, superior and inferior, or medial and lateral. Anatomic pathology is a medical specialty focused on diagnosing disease through the examination of tissue samples. Anatomic knowledge underpins disciplines such as surgery, radiology, anatomy education, and comparative anatomy in veterinary science.

Etymology traces the word to the Greek roots behind anatomy (ana, up; tome, cutting) and the suffix -ic. Although closely related to anatomical, the distinction between anatomic and anatomical is largely stylistic and contextual, with both forms used to convey structural and organizational aspects of living organisms.