Anatomy

Forms: 4–5 anothomia, 6 anothomy, -amie, 6–7 anathomy(e, (nathomy(e), anatomie, -otomie, -my, 6– anatomy. Also 6– atomy. [a. Fr. anatomie, ad. L. anatomia, a. Gr. ἀνατομία (quoted by Cælius Aurelianus c. 420 ‘apertionem quam Græci anatomiam dicunt’), abstr. sb. = ἀνατομή, a cutting up, a dissection, f. ἀνά up + τεμ-, τομ-, cut; cf. λιθοτομία stone-cutting. By confounding the initial syllable with the indef. article a, an, the Eng. word was erroneously divided as a natomy, an atomy; the latter of which became in senses 4–7 an established form: see ATOMY.]

  I.  The process, subjects and products of dissection of the body.

  1.  The artificial separation of the different parts of a human body or animal (or more generally of any organized body), in order to discover their position, structure and economy; dissection.

1541.  R. Copland, Guydon’s Quest. Chirurg. Anathomy is called ryght dyuysyon of membres done for certayne knowleges.

1543.  Traheron, Vigo’s Chirurg. (1586), 430. Anatomie … signifieth the cutting up of a mans bodie, or of some other thing.

1667.  Marvell, Corr., 203. Wks. 1872, II. 403. As if a man should dissect his own body, and read the anatamy lecture.

1688.  J. Clayton, in Phil. Trans., XVII. 990. Dr. Moulin and my self … made our Anatomies together … we shew’d to the Royal Society, that all Flat-bill’d Birds … had three Pair of Nerves.

1712.  Addison, Spect., No. 275, ¶ 1. Curious observations which he had lately made in an anatomy of an human body.

  † b.  with quick, live: Vivisection. Obs.

1651.  N. Biggs, New Dispens., Pref. 7. Where have we constant reading upon either quick or dead Anatomies?

1651.  Life of Father Sarpi (1676), 16. He had formerly cut in pieces a number of living Creatures with his own hands to make Anatomies.

1668.  Culpepper & Cole, trans. Bartholinus’ Anat., II. vi. 101. In Live Anatomies we can hardly perceive that the one is hotter then the other.

  † 2.  concr. a. A body (or part of one) anatomized or dissected, so as to show the position and structure of the organs. Hence b. A body or ‘subject’ for dissection. Obs.

1540.  T. Raynald, Birth of Mankinde (1634), Prol. 3. As though yee were present at the cutting open of Anatomy of a dead woman.

1598.  B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, IV. vi. They must ha’ dissected, and made an Anatomie of me.

1602.  Dekker, Satirom., 197. Carving my poore labours, Like an Anotomy.

1611.  Tourneur, Ath. Trag., V. ii. 146. His body when ’tis dead For an Anatomie.

1611.  Donne, in Coryat, Crudities.

1691.  Wood, Ath. Oxon., II/610. He intended to have her made an Anatomy.

1752.  Chambers, Cycl., Anatomy is sometimes used to denote the subject to be anatomized.

  3.  A model of the body, showing the parts discovered in dissection.

1727–51.  Chambers, Cycl., s.v., An human anatomy in plaster of Paris, representing a man standing upright, with his skin flea’d off. Ibid. (1753), Cycl. Supp. Who has not seen the waxwork Anatomy?

  4.  pop. A skeleton. [In this and the allied senses the word was often reduced to ATOMY.] arch.

1594.  T. B., trans. La Primaudaye’s Fr. Acad., II. 57. As it were a drie anatomy, which is a body consisting onely of bones.

1595.  Shaks., John, III. iv. 25–40. Death, death, O amiable louely death, Thou … fell Anatomy.

1600.  Hortop, in Arber, Eng. Garner (1882), V. 324. He carried with him, in his ship, to be presented to the king of Spain the anatomy of a giant which was sent from China.

1605.  Verstegan, Dec. Intell., iv. (1628), 106. The bones or anatomie of a sea Elephant.

1662.  Fuller, Worthies (1840), I. 496. The anatomy of a man lying in the tombe abovesaid, onely the bones remaining.

a. 1823.  D’Israeli, Cur. Lit. (1866), 455/1. Death in the Gothic form of a gaunt anatomy parading through the universe.

  b.  fig.

1589.  Pappe w. Hatchet (1844), 36. So like the verie Anatomie of mischiefe, that one might see through all the ribbes of his conscience.

1636.  Heywood, Loves Mistr., III. i. What bare anotomy of griefe is this?

1821.  Shelley, Epipsych., 122. Incarnate April, warning … Frost the anatomy Into his summer grave.

  5.  A skeleton with the skin left; a corpse shrunken or dried to skin and bone; a mummy.

1586.  T. B., trans. La Primaudaye’s Fr. Acad., 192. The Egyptians … used in the midst of their bankets to bring in the anatomy of a dead body dried.

1611.  Cotgr., Aridelle … an Anatomie, or bodie whereon there is nought left but skin and bone.

1669.  Penn, No Cross, etc. Wks. 1782, II. 319. The Egyptians, who … in the full of their greatest Cheer caused the Anatomy of a Dead Man to be brought before them.

1826.  Southey, in Q. Rev., XXXIII. 407. She is represented as more like an anatomy than a living person.

1861.  Sala, Twice Round Clock, 9. Myriads of dried sprats and cured pilchards—shrunken, piscatorial anatomies.

  b.  fig. The withered lifeless form of anything.

1605.  Verstegan, Dec. Intell., iv. (1628), 99. The winde and the raine having long since beaten away the earth from them, may thus haue left them to appeare the very true anatomies of themselves.

1867.  Froude, Short Stud. (1872), I. 31. What lean and shrivelled anatomies the best of such descriptions would seem!

  6.  A living being reduced to ‘skin and bone’; a withered or emaciated creature, a ‘walking skeleton.’

1590.  Shaks., Com. Err., V. 238. One Pinch: a hungry leane-fac’d Villaine, A meere Anatomie, a Mountebanke.

1633.  Ford, Love’s Sacr., II. i. Passion, and the vows I owe to you, Have chang’d me to a lean anatomy.

1824.  W. Irving, T. Trav., I. 269. This withered anatomy would read about being ‘stayed with flagons.’

1862.  Carlyle, Fredk. Gt. II. VII. ix. 342. The thread-paper Duchess of Kendal … poor old anatomy.

  b.  fig. Applied to things. rare.

1607.  Dekker, Knt.’s Conjur. (1842), 35. Made their countrey a pointing stocke to other nations, and a miserable anatomie to themselves.

1667.  Answ. West to Quest. North, 3. Ruine of Trade … hath brought the Land to a meer Anatomy.

  7.  Applied depreciatively to the bodily frame.

1592.  Shaks., Rom. & Jul., III. iii. 106. Tell me, in what vile part of this Anatomie Doth my name lodge?

1837.  Lockhart, Scott (1839), VI. 240. Brown leathern gaiters buttoned upon his nether anatomy.

a. 1857.  Jerrold, Wks. (1864), II. 101. The aperture was too small for his big, burly anatomy.

  II.  The science of bodily structure; structure as discovered by dissection.

  8.  The body of facts and deductions as to the structure of organized beings, animal or vegetable, ascertained by dissection; the doctrine or science of the structure of organized bodies.

  (Special divisions are Animal Anatomy or Zootomy; Vegetable Anatomy; Human Anatomy; Comparative Anatomy which compares the structure of different classes or groups of animals.)

[1398.  Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., V. xlii. (1495), 158. Anothomia is a craft and a scyence to knowe how the membres and lymmes of the body ben sette ordred and dystyngued.]

1541.  R. Copland, Guydon’s Quest. Chirurg. The scyence of the Nathomy is nedefull and necessarye to the Cyrurgyen.

1547.  Boorde, Brev. Health, Pref. 4. That they [Chierurgions] be sure in Anothomy.

1615.  H. Crooke, Body of Man, 189. There can no reason be giuen but onely from Anatomy.

1675.  Grew (title), Comparative Anatomy of the Trunks of Plants.

1753.  Chambers, Cycl. Supp., Anatomy is also of use in painting, designing, statuary, &c.

1877.  Huxley, Anat. Inv. Anim., xii. 687. A large and thorough acquaintance with anatomy and embryology.

  b.  A treatise on this science.

1528.  Paynell, Salerne Regim., 2. A iiij. There is in man CCClxv. veynes, as appereth in the anothamie.

1674.  R. Godfrey, Inj. & Abuses in Physick, 115. All the Anatomies or histories I ever could meet with.

  9.  Anatomical structure or organization, arrangement of the parts of the body of animals or plants.

1579.  Gosson, Schoole of Ab. (Arb.), 38. The anotomy of man [is] set out by experience.

1607.  Topsell, Four-footed Beasts (1673), 383. The inward proportion and anatomy of their bodies is like unto a man.

1868.  Duncan, Insect World, Introd. 1. To investigate the anatomy of insects.

  b.  transf. Of machines, etc.: Structure.

1879.  C. Hibbs, in Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 299/2. Each article has an iron screw or spike as a part of its anatomy.

  III.  Tropical. (Already by Aristotle ἀνατομή was used for logical dissection or analysis.)

  10.  The dissection or dividing of anything material or immaterial, for the purpose of examining its parts; detailed examination, analysis.

a. 1569.  Kingesmyll, Godly Advise (1580), 15. Make an Anotamie of the suter you have in hand, make no confusion of wealthe, witte, bodie and soule.

a. 1593.  H. Smith, Wks. (1866), I. 73. Let thy question be, ‘What have I done?’ and make thy anatomy of thyself.

1621.  Burton (title), The Anatomy of Melancholy: what it is, with all the kinds, causes, symptoms, prognostickes, and seuerall cures of it.

1641.  Milton, Animadv. (1851), 191. Such an unripping, such an Anatomie of the shiest, and tenderest particular truths.

1764.  Reid, Inq. Hum. Mind, i. § 1. It must be by an anatomy of the mind that we can discover its powers and principles.

1815.  Moore, Parad. & Peri, Epil. He proceeded to the anatomy of the short poem just recited.

  † 11.  Chemical analysis. Obs.

1621.  Molle, Camerarius’ Liv. Libr., I. xii. 35. A certaine Anatomie of siluer.

1686.  W. Harris, Lemery’s Chem., II. xxii. 620. They who have made the Anatomy of this mixt do know very well that it is almost all of it sulphur.