Anatomy is a science that studies not only the functions of individual organs, but also their location. Since anatomy is studied not only in Russia and the CIS countries, but around the world, and in order for scientists to understand each other, special terminology was introduced. This terminology is called anatomical.
Where did the anatomical terminology come from?
In anatomical terminology, two extinct languages are used. Each of them has its own alphabet and its own rules, as well as exceptions to these rules. These languages are Latin and Ancient Greek. If everything is clear about ancient Greek, then about Latin it’s not entirely. Many people ask who spoke it. The answer is simple and unequivocal - the Romans. Therefore, the medial is a word of Latin origin.
What does the term “medial” mean?
The medial is the middle. To make it easier to navigate in the human body, they came up with the division of a person using lines, each of them has its own name. Median is the middle line. Accordingly, those organs that are closer to this (middle) line have their own designations.
Medial - these are in the anatomy those organs whose location is directly next to the medial line. In Latin, as in any other language, there are 3 kinds. Due to this, the medianum is the median, the one that is located in the middle between two objects (organs). The ending "mind" indicates masculine.
Examples of using the word "medial"
- The medial edge of the clavicle, that is, the edge that is closer to the center line of the person.
- The medial structure of the brain.
- The medial core of the rhomboid fossa, the core that is closer to the middle of the rhomboid fossa.
Antonym for the word "medial"
Since the medial is the one that is closer to the middle, what word means the opposite. Based on the Russian language, the opposite of the word "middle" is the word "edge". In the Latin word it is lateral. It is not difficult to guess that in anatomy this indicates that the organ or other structure lies farther from the midline.
Thus, two terms are used in medicine: the medial is the median and the lateral is the marginal.