dissection

American  

[dih-sek-shuhn, dahy-] / dɪˈsɛk ʃən, daɪ- /

noun

1. the act of dissecting.

2. something that has been dissected. dissect.

3. a detailed, part-by-part analysis.

---

Other Word Forms

• redissection noun
• self-dissection noun

Etymology

Origin of dissection

1575–85; < Latin dissectiōn- (stem of dissectiō ), equivalent to dissect- ( dissect ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Dissection is the process of separating something into pieces. Whether the dissection involves taking a poem apart line-by-line to learn its meaning or cutting open a frog to study its insides, you're pulling out the parts that make up a whole to better understand it. Let's dissect, or take apart, this word for a moment. Dis- means "apart" and section means "to cut", which come together to form the definition of dissection: "to cut apart." When you cut something up into sections you're doing a dissection. The word is commonly used when talking about the process of cutting something apart for scientific purposes, it's also used to talk about taking apart an argument, a poem, or a plan.

Example Sentences

"This is a very significant finding; it is the first genetic dissection of Race 4 resistance from this wild subspecies."

From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026

Wider, diverse sets of genres make films like these all the more appealing to audiences, and in turn, proliferate the public discussion and dissection of these movies as time goes on.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

Kahn’s most representational works are his least interesting; it’s in the careful dissection of his elements and the revelation of what we’re looking at that the most joy is found.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

It provides a side-by-side look, a he-said, she-said dissection of their lives.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2025

Holmes explained that he had been doing some dissection but now had completed his research.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• postmortem