Dissect

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Dissect \Dis*sect"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Dissected}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Dissecting}.] [L. dissectus, p. p. of dissecare; dis-
     + secare to cut. See {Section}.]
     1. (Anat.) To divide into separate parts; to cut in pieces;
        to separate and expose the parts of, as an animal or a
        plant, for examination and to show their structure and


        relations; to anatomize.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To analyze, for the purposes of science or criticism; to
        divide and examine minutely.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              This paragraph . . . I have dissected for a sample.
                                                    --Atterbury.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  dissect
       v 1: cut open or cut apart; "dissect the bodies for analysis"
       2: make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of;
          break down into components or essential features; "analyze
          a specimen"; "analyze a sentence"; "analyze a chemical
          compound" [syn: {analyze}, {analyse}, {break down}, {take
          apart}] [ant: {synthesize}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  28 Moby Thesaurus words for "dissect":
     analyze, anatomize, assay, break down, break up, carve, cleave,
     cut, decompose, dichotomize, disjoin, disjoint, dissever, divide,
     part, penetrate, pierce, probe, reduce, reduce to elements,
     resolve, segment, separate, sever, slice, split, subdivide,
     sunder