Directional terms

Question 1

What is proximal?

Answer 1

Closer to or towards the trunk of the body (e.g shoulder at top of humerus)

Question 2

What is distal?

Answer 2

away or farthest from the trunk of the body (e.g where humerus connects to radius and ulna)

Question 3

What is anterior?

Answer 3

In front

Question 4

What is posterior?

Answer 4

Behind

Question 5

What is cranial?

Answer 5

Towards the head

Question 6

What is post cranial?

Answer 6

Away from the head

Question 7

What is dorsal?

Answer 7

towards the back of the body

Question 8

What is ventral?

Answer 8

Towards the front of the body

Question 9

What is palmar?

Answer 9

Anterior side of the hand

Question 10

What is plantar?

Answer 10

inferior surface of foot (sole)

Question 11

What is inferior?

Answer 11

Below, towards the feet

Question 12

What is superior?

Answer 12

Above, towards the top of the head

Question 13

What is lateral?

Answer 13

away from the midline

Question 14

What is medial?

Answer 14

Towards the midline

Question 15

What is the saggital plane?

Answer 15

Vertical separation of left and right (horizontal)

Question 16

What is the coronal plane?

Answer 16

Separates the back and front

Question 17

What is the transverse plane?

Answer 17

Separates top and bottom half

Question 18

What is endocranial?

Answer 18

Internal surface of the skull

Question 19

What is ectocranial?

Answer 19

External surface of the skull

Question 20

What is abduction?

Answer 20

Movement away from the central midline

Question 21

What is adduction?

Answer 21

moving towards the body

Question 22

What is opposition?

Answer 22

Movement of the thumb to fingertips e.g pinching

Question 23

What is flexion and extension?

Answer 23

Bending and extension of a limb

Question 24

What is medial and lateral rotation?

Answer 24

Rotation around a point

Question 25

What is a gliding joint?

Answer 25

Where the articulating surfaces are flat allowing the bones to slide over each other

Question 26

What is a hinge joint?

Answer 26

Made of bones thats articulating surfaces are covered by cartilage e.g knee and fingers

Question 27

What is a pivot joint?

Answer 27

Allows rotary movement around an axis e.g between atlas and axis allowing neck to move

Question 28

What is an ellipsoid joint?

Answer 28

allow back and forth and side to side movement e.g between metacarpals and phalanges

Question 29

What is a saddle joint?

Answer 29

End of one bone is concave and the other convex e.g thumb joint that can move more freely than wrist or fingers

Question 30

What is a ball and socket joint?

Answer 30

When the rounded surface of one bone moves within a depression of another bone

Question 31

What is labial?

Answer 31

side towards the lips (canines and incisors)

Question 32

What is buccal?

Answer 32

side towards the cheeks (premolars and molars)

Question 33

What is lingual?

Answer 33

Towards the tongue (canines and incisors)

Question 34

What is mesial?

Answer 34

Towards the front (medial line)

Question 35

What is distal (teeth)?

Answer 35

Towards the back

Question 36

What is the occlusal?

Answer 36

Biting surface