Cranial/Cephalic
The head end
Caudal
The tail end
Ventral
The belly side
Dorsal
The back side
Superior
The upper portion, or that which is above
Inferior
The lower portion, or that which is below
Supra
Descriptive prefix meaning above
Infra
Descriptive prefix meaning below
Anterior
The forward surface or toward the front
Posterior
The rear surface or toward the rear
Medial
Refers to a location nearer the midline than another location
Lateral
Refers to a location farther from the midline than another location
Proximal
Nearer the main axis of the body, or nearer the point of attachment
Distal
Away from the main axis of the body, or away from the point of attachment
Superficial
At or near the surface
Deep
Away from the surface
Transverse/Horizontal
A plane that extends from left to right and from dorsal to ventral, giving cranial and caudal portions
Sagittal
A plane that extends from cranial to caudal, giving right and left portions
Midsagittal
A plane that extends from cranial to caudal passing through the midline to dive the body or an organ into left and right halves
Frontal/Coronal
A plane that extends from left to right and cranial to caudal, giving dorsal and ventral portions
Alveolus
A deep pit or socket in the maxillae or mandible
Articulation
The junction of two bones
Auricular
Ear-shaped
Bifid
Cleft into two parts or branches
Capitulum
A little head
Concha
A spiral structure like a seashell
Condyle
A large, smooth, rounded articulating oval structure
Coracoid
Describing a projection shaped like a crow's beak
Coronoid
Describing a triangular projection ending in a sharp point
Costal
Associated with or a part of the ribs
Crest
A narrow, prominent ridge-like projection
Cribriform
Perforated like a sieve
Cuneiform
Wedge-shaped
Demifacet
Half of a facet, part of an reticular surface shared by two adjacent bones
Diaphysis
The middle portion of a long bone, the shaft
Eminence
An elevation or projection, especially on a bone
Epicondyle
A projection adjacent to a condyle
Epiphysis
The end of a long bone
Facet
A small, flat, shallow articulating surface
Fissure
A narrow, slit-like opening through a bone
Foramen
A rounded passageway through a bone
Fossa
A flattened or shallow depression
Fovea
A small pit or depression
Glenoid
Shaped like a shallow socket
Head
A prominent, rounded epiphysis
Hiatus
A gap
Lamina
A thin, flat plane
Line
A low ridge, less prominent than a crest
Malleolus
A club-shaped or hammer-shaped process
Mastoid
Breast-shaped
Meatus
A passageway through a bone
Neck
A constricted portion adjacent to the head
Notch
An indentation or a V-shaped depression
Nuchal
Associated with the nape of the neck
Pedicle
A supporting column or stalk
Petrous
Like a rock
Process
A projection; A bony prominence
Promontory
A high place
Pterygoid
Winglike
Ramus
An angular extension of a bone relative to the rest of the structure, a branch
Septum
A partition
Sinus
A cavity or hollow space in a bone
Spine
A pointed, slender process
Squamous
Flat, scale-like
Styloid
Pointed, pen-like
Sulcus
A narrow groove
Suture
The line of union in an immovable articulation
Trochanter
A massive, rough projection found only on the femur
Trochlea
A smooth, grooved pulley-like reticular process
Tubercle
A small, round projection
Tuberosity
A large, round projection
Xiphoid
Shaped like a sword