Greek for 'cutting up' — sharing its blade-root with 'atom' (uncuttable), making them etymological opposites.
The branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans, animals, and other organisms, especially as revealed by dissection.
From Latin anatomia, from Greek anatomē (dissection), from anatemnein (to cut up), a compound of ana- (up, upon, throughout) and temnein (to cut). The prefix ana- derives from PIE *h₂en- (on, upon), also seen in English on, and in numerous Greek compounds (analysis, anabaptist, anarchy). The verb temnein comes from the PIE root *temh₁- (to cut), which produced Latin templum (a space cut off for augury — hence English temple), Latin tempus (a section, time — hence English temporal, tense, tempo, contemporary), Greek tomos (a slice — hence English atom
'Anatomy' and 'atom' share the same Greek root 'témnein' (to cut). Anatomy means 'cutting up' (ana + temnein); atom means 'uncuttable' (a + tomos). One word names the act of dividing a body into parts; the other names a particle that was believed to be indivisible. Dissection and indivisibility — two sides of the same blade.