The scientific study of the structure of the bodies of living beings, especially humans.
example
Im Medizinstudium ist die Anatomie ein zentrales und sehr lernintensives Fach.
In medical studies, anatomy is a central subject that requires a great deal of learning.
Usage tips
Use with genitive
'Anatomie' (anatomy) is often used with a genitive or the preposition 'von' (of) to specify whose or what structure is being described. This applies to both the literal and the figurative meaning.
EXAMPLE
Die Anatomie des menschlichen Herzens ist sehr komplex.
The anatomy of the human heart is very complex.
Context clues
You can recognize the figurative meaning by the fact that it is not about a body or a living being. When 'Anatomie' (anatomy) is connected with abstract nouns like 'Macht' (power), 'eines Romans' (of a novel), or 'einer Niederlage' (of a defeat), it refers to the analysis of structure.
EXAMPLE
Das Buch liefert eine detaillierte Anatomie der modernen Gesellschaft.
The book provides a detailed anatomy of modern society.
Typical verbs
In the context of science, 'Anatomie' (anatomy) is often combined with verbs such as 'studieren' (to study), 'lernen' (to learn), or 'lehren' (to teach), since it is a typical subject in medicine or biology.
EXAMPLE
Sie studiert Medizin und muss viel für Anatomie lernen.
She is studying medicine and has to study a lot for anatomy.
Compare with
near_synonym · confusable
Anatomie vs Analyse
analysis
'die Analyse' and 'die Anatomie' can both look at the inner structure of something. 'Analyse' means the detailed examination of something in order to understand its structure, parts, or reasons. 'Anatomie' actually means the structure of a body. In a figurative sense, you can also speak of the 'Anatomie' of a system or problem when you mean its inner structure. The words can be confused because both sometimes look very closely at components. However, 'Analyse' is the process of examination, while 'Anatomie' is more the structure itself or the presentation of that structure.
Anatomie
Der Artikel beschreibt die Anatomie einer Krise und zeigt ihre wichtigsten Teile.
The article describes the anatomy of a crisis and shows its most important parts.
Analyse
Nach der Umfrage schreibt Lisa eine Analyse der Ergebnisse.
After the survey, Lisa writes an analysis of the results.