Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

dissect

Pronunciation: /dʌɪˈsɛkt, dɪ-/

Translate dissect | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of dissect

verb

[with object]
  • methodically cut up (a body or plant) in order to study its internal parts: an animal’s eye can be easily dissected
  • analyse (a text or idea) in minute detail:he dissected the Prime Minister’s statement and revealed the truth behind it

Derivatives

dissector

noun

Origin:

late 16th century: from Latin dissect- 'cut up', from the verb dissecare, from dis- 'apart' + secare 'to cut'

Spelling help

Remember that dissect and the related word dissection have a double s.

Spelling tip

she dissected several specimens.

dissect in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of dissect in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Word of the day

kempt

/ kɛm(p)t /
adjective
maintained in a neat and clean condition …