Skip to main content
gross anatomy

gross anatomy

1 4.1
The study of body parts you can see without a microscope
  • noun
  • /ɡroʊs əˈnætəmi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : anatomía macroscópica
  • In medical school, we studied gross anatomy to learn about the structure of the human body.

Examples

  • So I'm guessing that means gross anatomy and then maybe cellular biology and then phylogenesis.

  • That's why they call it "gross anatomy."

  • Welcome, welcome to gross anatomy.

  • Did you like gross anatomy first year?

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Are gross anatomy exams not this Monday?

  • It was my first year of medical school, gross anatomy.

  • The door to the gross anatomy room was ajar.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • "Welcome to gross anatomy," Spenser said.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • One day I'm studying gross anatomy in the classroom, the next, I'm sewing up Rough Riders on San Juan Hill.

  • They now do their research as members of clinical departments, and basic science is taught mostly by PhDs, who are often made responsible for teaching material, such as gross anatomy, that is no longer of interest to anyone but clinicians.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

anatomy
vsgross anatomy
  • Specialized
96 3.8

The study of the parts inside animals and plants

focuses on structures visible without a microscope rather than internal details
macroscopic anatomy
vsgross anatomy
  • Specialized
5.1

Study of organs and tissues you can see without a microscope

shares identical meaning and functions as an alternate name
general anatomy
vsgross anatomy
  • Specialized
3.9

Study of the body structure of animals and humans

concentrates on parts seen without a microscope rather than whole biological organization

Surface Forms

gross anatomy singular

Morphology

gross + anatomy

The meaning is directly compositional: 'gross' (visible to the naked eye) modifies 'anatomy' (study of body structure), yielding 'the study of body parts as seen without a microscope.' This follows a regular modifier+noun pattern and is cross-linguistically transparent (e.g., macroscopic anatomy), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Gross anatomy comes from an older use of gross meaning 'large' or 'whole' and anatomy meaning the study of body parts. So gross anatomy is the study of the body's parts you can see with the 'naked eye', which is why it means looking at large structures without a microscope.