anteposed

Anteposed is an adjective used in anatomy, zoology, botany, and related fields to describe something that is placed or positioned in front of another structure or reference point. In human anatomy, an organ or part described as anteposed is anteriorly positioned relative to a baseline such as the skull base, the vertebral column, or another comparative structure. The term is often employed in radiographic or descriptive language to note anterior displacement of a structure. By contrast, postposed or retroposed refers to structures situated behind or posterior to the reference point. The related noun anteposition denotes the act or result of placing something in front.

The word derives from Latin ante 'before' and pose, a form connected to ponere 'to place', and it is typically used in technical or descriptive language rather than everyday speech. In practice, anteposed is most common in formal descriptions of anatomy, paleontology, and embryology, where precise spatial terminology matters. It can be hyphenated as ante-posed in some texts.

Limitations: The term is relative and depends on the chosen reference frame; what is anteposed in one context may not be in another if the reference point changes. Therefore, readers should consider the stated reference when encountering this term. See also anteposition, anterior, posterior, and retroposition.