Dis-sĕc'tion, n.

(-sĕk'shun), n. [Fr. dissection, Sp. disección, It. dissezione.]

1. The act of dissecting, or of cutting in pieces an animal or vegetable, for the purpose of ascertaining the structure and uses of its parts; anatomy; as, dissection was held sacrilege till the time of Francis I.
2. The act of separating into constituent parts for the purpose of critical examination.