To cut into parts carefully, usually a dead organism, to study its internal structure.
From Latin 'dissecare,' composed of 'dis-' (apart) and 'secare' (to cut), literally meaning 'to cut apart,' used in anatomy since ancient Roman times.
High school biology classes have dissected frogs for over a century, but now virtual reality dissections are becoming popular—students can 'dissect' animals in VR and watch organs function in real-time, which some experts say teaches better than dead specimens.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.