dissectio

Forms

dissectiō f (genitive dissectiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin dissecō + -tiō, from the past participle stem of dissecō (“to cut in pieces”).^[1][2] That verb is formed dis- and secō (“to cut”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL records it only in a Greek–Latin glossary,^[2] and Gaffiot refers it to dēsectiō “cutting”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In medieval Latin it meant a split or quarrel among princes,^[5] the quartering of a condemned man's body,^[6] and, in anatomy, the dissection of a body.^[6] English borrowed it in the 1580s, from French or directly from Medieval Latin, for the cutting open of a body.^[3]

Timeline

• 1580s – English borrows it as dissection.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A cutting apart, dissection.^[1][2]
2. (Medieval Latin) A split, quarrel.^[5]
3. (Medieval Latin) The quartering of a body.^[6]
4. (Medieval Latin, anatomy) Dissection of a body.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press