Gross anatomy

The study of the form of structures that can be seen with the naked eye, as opposed to microscopic anatomy (or histology) which involves structures seen under the microscope. Traditionally, both gross and microscopic anatomy have been studied in the first year of medical school in the U.S. The most celebrated textbook of anatomy in the English-speaking world is Gray's Anatomy, still a useful reference book. The word "anatomy" comes from the Greek ana- meaning up or through + tome meaning a cutting. Anatomy was once a "cutting up" because the structure of the body was originally learned through dissecting it, cutting it up. The abbreviation for anatomy is "anat."

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gross anatomy n a branch of anatomy that deals with the macroscopic structure of tissues and organs compare HISTOLOGY (1)

gross anatomist n

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anatomy that deals with structures that can be distinguished with the unaided eye; called also macroscopic a.