v.; also 6–7 anathom-, anotom-. [ad. med. or early mod.L. anatomīzā-re (or its Fr. ad. anatomiser, 16th c. in Litt.), f. anatomia, as if on a Gr. *ἀνατομίζ-ειν: see ANATOMY and -IZE.]
1. trans. To dissect or cut up; esp. To dissect a human body, or an animal, for the purpose of displaying the position, structure and relations of the various parts; to make a dissection of.
1541. R. Copland, Guydon’s Quest. Chirurg. By experyence in deuysynge and Anathomysynge the deade corpses.
1593. Nashe, 4 Lett. Confut., 5. Who but a Foppe wil labour to anatomize a Flye?
1596. C. Fitz-geffrey, Drake (1881), 99. Anatomize me into atomies.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., Democr. 5. The carkasses of many seuerall beasts, newly by him cut vp and Anatomised.
1696. Phil. Trans., XIX. 270. When I was Anatomizing of Eeels.
1716. Cibber, Love makes a Man, V. iii. 81. Take you no Care about the Surgeons, you shall not be anatomiz’d.
1863. Sala, Capt. Dang., II. vii. 224. Surgeon’s Hall, where malefactors were anatomised after execution.
b. To dissect (plants).
1686. W. Harris, Lemery’s Chem., Introd. 21. Anatomize the Plant how you think fit, without using fire.
1830. Lindley, Nat. Syst. Bot., Introd. 15. A botanist … prefers to examine the stem, or the leaf … and does not find it necessary to anatomise the seed.
2. absol.
1870. Lowell, Among My Books (1873), 308. When he should have been anatomizing.
1873. Browning, Red Cott. Nt.-cap, 231. Cut, hack, slash, anatomize, Till peccant part be found.
3. fig. To lay open minutely; to analyze.
1553–87. Foxe, A. & M., III. 879. Thus was the Mass anatomized, with the abominations thereof.
1588. Thynne, Lett., in Animadv., Pref. 92. I will not anotomyze every perticular default of everye manne.
1589. Greene, Menaph. (Arb.), 51. To anatomize wit.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, IV. iii. 37. I would gladly haue him see his company anathomiz’d, that hee might take a measure of his owne iudgements.
1642. Howell, For. Trav., 12. All the Topographers that ever anatomiz’d a Toun or Countrey.
1673. Lady’s Call., I. § 4 ¶ 10 (1683), 29. They anatomise every part of her dress, her meen, her dialect.
a. 1733. North, Lives of Norths, II. 206. He found that tones and chords might be anatomized.
1777. Burke, Let. Sheriffs Brist., Wks. III. 183. People, who have split and anatomised the doctrine of free government.
1859. in Gullick & Timbs, Paint., 175. In knowing how to ‘anatomize light and shade in endless gradation.’
† b. To analyze chemically. Obs.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. 1653. 210. Paracelsus, who had truly anatomized that salt [Copperas].
1652. French, Yorksh. Spa, iv. 40. If water were accurately anotamized.
