verb
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dissect
dih-SEHKT
Dissect (verb) means to cut open a body, plant, or organism to examine its internal structure. Example: “Students dissected a frog in biology class.”
verb
1
To cut open a body, plant, or organism to examine its internal structure.
"Students dissected a frog in biology class."
2
To examine something in minute detail, piece by piece.
"Commentators spent hours dissecting the president's speech."
"The critics dissected every scene of the film."
How to use dissect
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo cut something apart to look inside it, or to analyse something piece by piece.
Common pairings
dissect a frog
dissect an argument
dissect the data
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- dissects
- Past tense
- dissected
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Students _____ a frog in biology class.
Etymology
From Latin dissecare, "to cut apart," from dis- ("apart") + secare ("to cut") — related to "section."
Synonyms
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Frequently asked questions
What does “dissect” mean?
The word “dissect” means to cut open a body, plant, or organism to examine its internal structure. In plain terms, to cut something apart to look inside it, or to analyse something piece by piece.
How do you pronounce “dissect”?
“Dissect” is pronounced dih-SEHKT (/dɪˈsɛkt/ in IPA).
How do you use “dissect” in a sentence?
Here is “dissect” used in a sentence: “Students dissected a frog in biology class.”
What part of speech is “dissect”?
“Dissect” is a verb.
Where does the word “dissect” come from?
The word “dissect” comes from Latin. From Latin dissecare, "to cut apart," from dis- ("apart") + secare ("to cut") — related to "section.".
How many meanings does “dissect” have?
“Dissect” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to cut open a body, plant, or organism to examine its internal structure.
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