dissect

UK: /dɪˈsɛkt/, /daɪˈsɛkt/

US: /dɪˈsɛkt, daɪ-/

US: (di sekt′, dī-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

dis•sect /dɪˈsɛkt, daɪ-/   v. [~ + object]

1. Anatomy to cut apart (an animal body, a plant, etc.) to examine the structure and relation of parts:
   In biology class we had to dissect a frog.
2. to examine in detail part by part; analyze:
   Your assignment is to dissect the poem.

dis•sec•tion /dɪˈsɛkʃən, daɪ-/  n. 

[countable] performed several frog dissections.

[uncountable] to subject the frog to dissection.

See -sect-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dis•sect  (di sekt′, dī-), v.t. 

1. Anatomy to cut apart (an animal body, plant, etc.) to examine the structure, relation of parts, or the like.
2. to examine minutely part by part;
   analyze:
   to dissect an idea.

• Latin dissectus (past participle of dissecāre to cut up), equivalent. to dis- dis-¹ + sec- cut + -tus past participle suffix
• 1600–10

dis•sec′ti•ble, adj. 
dis•sec′tor, n. 
Synonyms

• 1, 2. anatomize.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dissect / dɪˈsɛkt daɪ-/ verb

1. to cut open and examine the structure of (a dead animal or plant)
2. (transitive) to examine critically and minutely

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin dissecāre, from dis-¹ + secāre to cut

disˈsection noun

disˈsector noun