anatomical

adjective

an·​a·​tom·​i·​cal ˌa-nə-ˈtä-mi-kəl 

variants or less commonly anatomic

ˌa-nə-ˈtä-mik 

: of or relating to anatomy or the body structure of organisms

anatomical studies/structures/mechanisms

The mollusks are divided according to common anatomical traits into seven classes …

—Carol M. Lalli and Ronald W. Gilmer

Mayberg has been mapping anatomical areas of the brain that are either hyperactive or inactive in depressed men and women.

—Siddhartha Mukherjee

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by a broad array of physiologic and anatomic abnormalities, but its most notable feature is disturbed glucose metabolism, which results in inappropriate hyperglycemia.

—George F. Cahill, Jr. et al.

anatomically

ˌa-nə-ˈtä-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

… in Africa and possibly in the Middle East, anatomically modern humans were evolving.

—Rick Gore

Examples of anatomical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To one collector — a York, Pa. physician and collector of antique surgical instruments who bought woodcuts depicting anatomical models — Washington sold 130 woodblocks for $118,810, court records said. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024

Our relatively long, powerful thumb and other anatomical attributes, including our flat nails (which nearly all primates possess), make this possible. —Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024

Tulio Villalobos-Guerrero of the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada in Mexico conducted the primary anatomical analysis that was necessary to determine that this was a new species. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2024

As part of the research, Button calculated the species’ sense of smell using anatomical ratios in the brain cavity. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024

Hrdlicka believed in white superiority and amassed thousands of bones and other body parts at the museum to further his theories on the anatomical differences between races. —Claire Healy, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024

But the electrical field seemed to vary unpredictably across the brain's anatomical folds. —Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024

The look took a total of 394,000 crystals to create with creative director Ib Kamara’s anatomical signature, hence the muscles. —Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 12 Feb. 2024

Here are some of the reasons for their exemplary anatomical support: Promoting proper alignment: Buckwheat and millet hulls naturally conform to the body's anatomy and alignment. —Sixteen Ramos, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above