anatomist

noun

anat·​o·​mist ə-ˈna-tə-mist How to pronounce anatomist (audio)
1
: a specialist in anatomy
2
: one who analyzes minutely and critically
an anatomist of urban society

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Sadly, his friends sold his body to a wealthy surgeon and anatomist (John Hunter) who made Byrne’s skeleton the centerpiece of his collection. Ryan Craig, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023 As efforts to attract donors who would pledge their eyes at death spread in the 1940s and early 1950s, so too did a new problem for anatomists: a decline in the number of unclaimed bodies. Susan Lawrence, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2023 Though the young man’s companions tried to fulfill his wishes, an anatomist named John Hunter thwarted these plans, reportedly paying someone £500 to open Byrne’s coffin and replace his remains with a heavy weight. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2023 In August 1891, laborers working for the Dutch anatomist Eugène Dubois began excavating trenches along a steep riverbank on the Indonesian island of Java. Douglas Fox, Discover Magazine, 20 Aug. 2018 Whilst Colombo was an extremely accomplished and successful anatomist, contemporary professional rivalry probably encouraged exaggerated claims of priority. Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2011 The Philadelphia museum hopes to provide a formal burial to 13 Black Philadelphians whose remains were used by a 19th century anatomist to formulate racist theories. Remy Tumin, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2022 Comparative anatomist Thomas Henry Huxley, for example, noticed similarities in the body plans of dinosaurs and birds as early as the 1860s. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2017 Instead, John Hunter, an 18th-century British surgeon and anatomist, paid Byrne’s friends 500 pounds for his skeleton, which joined hundreds of plant and animal specimens on display in Hunter’s home in London’s Leicester Square. Claire Moses, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anatomist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of anatomist was in 1543

Dictionary Entries Near anatomist

Cite this Entry

“Anatomist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anatomist. Accessed 5 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

anatomist

noun
anat·​o·​mist ə-ˈnat-ə-məst How to pronounce anatomist (audio)
: a specialist in anatomy

Medical Definition

anatomist

noun
anat·​o·​mist ə-ˈnat-ə-məst How to pronounce anatomist (audio)
: a specialist in anatomy

More from Merriam-Webster on anatomist

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