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anatomize

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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WOTD – 10 January 2026

Etymology

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    From Late Middle English anatomisen, anatomien, anatomen (“to dissect in order to investigate”)[1] borrowed from Middle French anatomiser (modern French anatomiser), or from its etymon Medieval Latin anatomizāre, from Latin anatomia (“anatomy”) + -izāre (the present active infinitive of -izō (suffix forming similative verbs)), modelled after a supposed Ancient Greek *ἀνατομίζειν (*anatomízein). Anatomia is derived from Ancient Greek *ἀνατομία (*anatomía) (known only through a quotation in a Latin text),[2] from ἀνατομή (anatomḗ, “act of cutting up, dissection”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns); ἀνατομή (anatomḗ) is from ἀνᾰτέμνω (anătémnō, “to cut open”) (from ᾰ̓νᾰ- (ănă-, prefix meaning ‘up’) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut, hew; to butcher”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- (“to cut”))) + -η (-ē, suffix forming action nouns). By surface analysis, anatomy +‎ -ize (suffix forming (chiefly similative) verbs).

    Pronunciation

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    Verb

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    anatomize (third-person singular simple present anatomizes, present participle anatomizing, simple past and past participle anatomized) (archaic, American spelling, Oxford British English)

    1. (transitive)
      1. To cut up or dissect (the body of a human being or an animal), specifically for the purpose of investigating its anatomy.
        1. To punish (someone) by post mortem dissection following execution.
          • 1863, George Augustus Sala, “Of Certain Ticklish Ups and Downs in My Life: Amongst Others of My Being Pressed for Service in the Fleet”, in The Strange Adventures of Captain Dangerous: […], volume II, London: Tinsley Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 224:
            […] Surgeon's Hall, where malefactors were anatomised after execution—a Sanguinary but Salutary custom—was in the Old Bailey, over against the leads of the Sessions House […]
      2. To cut up or dissect (a plant or one of its parts) to investigate its structure.
      3. (figurative)
        2. To scrutinize (something) down to the most minute detail.
          Near-synonyms: atomize, analyze
          • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 186, column 1, lines 130–132:
            I ſpeake but brotherly of him, but ſhould I anathomize him to thee, as hee is, I muſt bluſh, and vveepe, and thou muſt look pale and vvonder.
          • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], pages 246–247:
            I vvould gladly haue him ſee his company anathomiz'd, that hee might take a meaſure of his ovvne iudgements, vvherein ſo curiouſly he had ſet this counterfeit.
          • 1642, James Howell, “Section I”, in Instructions for Forreine Travell. […], London: […] T. B. for Humprey Mosley [i.e., Humphrey Moseley] […], →OCLC, page 5:
            [O]ne ſhould reade all the Topographers that ever vvrit of, or anatomiz'd a Tovvn or Countrey, and mingle Diſcourſe vvith the moſt exact obſervers of the Government thereof, and labour to dravv out of them all they poſſibly knovv or can remember; […]
          • 1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Of the Rationall Soule”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 1, section 1, member 2, subsection 9, page 39:
            In the precedent Subſections, I haue anatomiſed thoſe inferiour Faculties of the Soule; the Rationall remaineth, a pleaſant, but a doubtfull Subiect, as one termes it, and vvith the like brevity to be diſcuſſed.
          • a. 1652 (date written; published 1653), Christopher Love, “Sermon VI. 2. Pet[er] 1. 10.”, in Edmund Calamy [the Elder], Jeremiah Whitaker, Simon Ashe, William Taylor, Allen Geere, editors, A Treatise of Effectual Calling and Election. In XVI. Sermons, on 2 Peter 1. 10. […], London: […] John Rothwell […], published 1655, →OCLC, paragraph 3, page 79:
            It is ſaid of ſtony ground, that the ſeed that fell among ſtones, are they that receive the vvord vvith joy (there is their delight to hear) but not having deep root, in times of perſecution fell avvay [Matthew 13:20–21]. Here the Scripture Anatomizeth a man, that he may hear the vvord vvith joy ſometimes, vvhen the current of the times run for Religion, vvhen the vvord comes in faſhion among a people; but if perſecution ſhould attend the vvord, and a priſon attend hearing, you vvould then ſee hovv flag their delights vvould be in hearing the vvord: […]
          • 1673, [Richard Allestree], “Sect[ion] IV. Of Affability.”, in The Ladies Calling. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian] Theatre, →OCLC, part I, page 79:
            [I]f a poor Country Gentlevvoman fall vvithin their circuit, vvhat a ſtock of mirth does ſhe afford them, hovv curiouſly do they anatomiſe every part of her dreſs, her meen, her dialect, […]
          • 1691, Giovanni Paolo Marana, “Letter XXXV. To the Venerable Mufti.”, in [William Bradshaw], transl., edited by [Robert Midgley], The Second Volume of Letters Writ by a Turkish Spy, who Lived Five and Forty Years, Undiscover’d, at Paris: […], volume II, London: […] J. Leake, for Henry Rhodes, […], →OCLC, pages 352–353:
            VVhen Evil ſurprizes us, vve commonly affright our ſelves, by beholding it in its groſs Bulk; our ſcattered Spirits, are aſtoniſhed at an Infinite Bugbear. VVhereas, if vve take a more particular Survey of the dreadful Object, anatomize and vievv it Piece by Piece; vve find, that the greateſt part of vvhat ſo diſmay'd us, had no other Exiſtence, than in our ovvn Imagination.
          • 1727, Thomas Fuller, compiler, Introductio ad Prudentiam: Or, Directions, Counsels, and Cautions, Tending to Prudent Management of Affairs in Common Life. The Second Part. […], London: […] [William Bowyer] for Stephen Austen […], →OCLC, paragraph 3027, page 174:
            But if thou takeſt a more particular Survey of the dreadful Object, anatomiſeſt and vievveſt it Piece by Piece, thou vvilt find, that the greateſt Part of vvhat diſmay'd thee, had no other Exiſtence than in thy ovvn Imagination.
            A paraphrase of the 1691 quotation with a variant spelling.
          • 1777, Edmund Burke, A Letter from Edmund Burke, Esq; One of the Representatives in Parliament for the City of Bristol, to John Farr and John Harris, Esqrs, Sheriffs of that City, on the Affairs of America, London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 53:
            There are people, vvho have ſplit and anatomiſed the doctrine of free Government, as if it vvere an abſtract queſtion concerning metaphyſical liberty and neceſſity; and not a matter of moral prudence and natural feeling.
          • 1791, James Boswell, quoting Samuel Johnson, “[1769]”, in James Boswell, editor, The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. […], volume I, London: […] Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, […], →OCLC, page 319:
            He ſeems to have read a great deal of French criticiſm, and vvants to make it his ovvn; as if he had been for years anatomiſing the heart of man, and peeping into every cranny of it.
          • 1857, Charles Kingsley, “The Recognition”, in Two Years Ago, volume I, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 251:
            I am not one of those who anatomise their own married happiness for the edification of the whole public, and make fame, if not money, out of their own wives' hearts.
          • 2023, Eleanor Catton, Birnam Wood […], [Toronto, Ont.]: McClelland & Stewart, →ISBN, pages 15–16:
            If Mrs. Noakes knew how unsparingly she was anatomised, then she possessed more fortitude of character than either Mira or her daughter ever diagnosed, for despite her initial resistance to Shelley's sudden change of course, and despite her frequent sharing of career vacancy advertisements 'just to give you a sense of what's out there', Mrs Noakes had really come around to Birnam Wood; in fact, it pained Shelley to admit, when her mother spoke about it now, it was with real pride and admiration.
        3. (obsolete) To chemically analyse (a substance).
          • 1644, Kenelme [i.e., Kenelm] Digby, “Of the Dissolution of Mixed Bodies”, in Two Treatises. In the One of which, the Nature of Bodies; in the Other, the Nature of Mans Soule; is Looked into: In Way of Discovery, of the Immortality of Reasonable Soules, Paris: […] Gilles Blaizot, →OCLC, 1st treatise (Declaring the Nature and Operations of Bodies), paragraph 6, page 135:
            Laſtly, it can not be othervviſe but that the fire, in all this vvhile of continuall application to the body it thus anatomiſeth, hath hardned and as it vvere roſted ſome partes into ſuch greatneſſe and dryneſſe as they vvill not fly, not can be carried vp vvith any moderate heate.
            Used to refer to fire breaking down a substance.
          • 1835, [John George Hamilton Bourne], chapter XII, in The Picture: And the Prosperous Man. […], volume I, London: James Cochrane and Co., […], →OCLC, page 268:
            Tell me, philosopher, thou who arrogatest to thyself the proud name, and who callest the cloud a vapour, and anatomizest the free and ambient air into thy wretched hydrogen and nitrogen,—tell me, dost thou know what it is to shed the tear of rapture, or indulge the sweet pain of romance?
    2. (intransitive) To cut up or dissect the body of a human being or an animal.

    Conjugation

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    Conjugation of anatomize
    infinitive (to) anatomize
    present tense past tense
    1st-person singular anatomize anatomized
    2nd-person singular anatomize, anatomizest† anatomized, anatomizedst†
    3rd-person singular anatomizes, anatomizeth† anatomized
    plural anatomize
    subjunctive anatomize anatomized
    imperative anatomize —
    participles anatomizing anatomized

    † Archaic or obsolete.

    Alternative forms

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    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    (transitive) to cut up or dissect (the body of a human being or an animal); (intransitive) to cut up or dissect the body of a human being or an animal — see also dissect

    References

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    1. ^ “anatomīsen, -tom(ī)en, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
    2. ^ “anatomize, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2024; “anatomize, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

    Further reading

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    Anagrams

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    Portuguese

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    Verb

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    anatomize

    1. inflection of anatomizar:
      1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
      2. third-person singular imperative
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