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''Terminologia Anatomica'' (commonly abbreviated TA) is the international standard for human anatomical terminology. It is developed by the Federative International Programme on Anatomical Terminology (FIPAT) a program of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA).


History

The sixth edition of the previous standard, ''
Nomina Anatomica ''Nomina Anatomica'' (''NA'') was the international standard on human anatomic terminology from 1895 until it was replaced by '' Terminologia Anatomica'' in 1998. In the late nineteenth century some 30,000 terms for various body parts were in us ...
'', was released in 1989. The first edition of ''Terminologia Anatomica'', superseding Nomina Anatomica, was developed by the Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology (FCAT) and the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) and released in 1998. In April 2011, this edition was published online by the Federative International Programme on Anatomical Terminologies (FIPAT), the successor of FCAT. The first edition contained 7635 Latin items. The second edition was released online by FIPAT in 2019 and approved and adopted by the IFAA General Assembly in 2020. The latest errata is dated August 2021. It contains a total of 7112 numbered terms (1-7113 skipping 2590), with some terms repeated.


Adoption and reception

A 2014 survey of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists found that the TA preferred term had the highest frequency of usage in only 53% of the 25 anatomical terms surveyed, and was highest or second-highest for 92% of terms. 75% of respondents were unfamiliar with FIPAT and TA. In a panel at the 2022 International Federation of Associations of Anatomists Congress, author Dr. Kyle McLeister stated "the Terminologia Anatomica generally receives no attention in medical terminology courses", but stressed its importance. The TA is not well established in other languages, such as French. The English equivalent names are often inconsistent if viewed as translations of the accompanying Latin phrases. The Terminologia Anatomica specifically excludes eponyms, as they were determined to "give absolutely no anatomical information about the named structure, and vary considerably between countries and cultures". In a 2023 study of eight gynecologic eponyms, the TA term was preferred in two cases, and showed a significant trend towards TA adoption in three others, leaving three non-TA terms likely to remain in common use.


Categories of anatomical structures

''Terminologia Anatomica'' is divided into 16 chapters grouped into five parts. The official terms are in Latin. Although equivalent English-language terms are provided, only the official Latin terms are used as the basis for creating lists of equivalent terms in other languages.


Part I


Chapter 1: General anatomy

# General terms # Reference planes # Reference lines # Human body positions #
Movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...
# Parts of human body # Regions of human body


Part II: Musculoskeletal systems


Chapter 2: Bones

#
Axial skeleton The axial skeleton is the core part of the endoskeleton made of the bones of the head and trunk of vertebrates. In the human skeleton, it consists of 80 bones and is composed of the skull (28 bones, including the cranium, mandible and the midd ...
#
Appendicular skeleton The appendicular skeleton is the portion of the vertebrate endoskeleton consisting of the bones, cartilages and ligaments that support the paired appendages ( fins, flippers or limbs). In most terrestrial vertebrates (except snakes, legless li ...
# Bones #
Cranium The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate. In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...
# Extracranial bones of head # Auditory ossicles #
Teeth A tooth (: teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...
#
Nasal cartilages The nasal cartilages are structures within the nose that provide form and support to the nasal cavity. The nasal cartilages are made up of a flexible material called hyaline cartilage (packed collagen) in the distal portion of the nose. There are f ...
# Cartilages of ear # Laryngeal cartilages #
Vertebral column The spinal column, also known as the vertebral column, spine or backbone, is the core part of the axial skeleton in vertebrates. The vertebral column is the defining and eponymous characteristic of the vertebrate. The spinal column is a segmente ...
# Thoracic skeleton # Bones of upper limb # Bony pelvis # Bones of lower limb #
Joint A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
s


Chapter 3: Joints

# Joints of skull # Joints of auditory ossicles # Laryngeal joints # Joints of vertebral column # Thoracic joints # Joints of upper limb # Joints of lower limb


Chapter 4: Muscular system

# Cranial part of muscular system # Cervical part of muscular system # Dorsal part of muscular system # Thoracic part of muscular system # Abdominal part of muscular system # Pelvic part of muscular system # Muscular system of upper limb # Muscular system of lower limb


Part III: Visceral systems


Chapter 5: Digestive system

#
Mouth A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...
# Fauces #
Pharynx The pharynx (: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the human mouth, mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs respectively). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates ...
# Digestive canal #
Liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...
#
Gallbladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow Organ (anatomy), organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath t ...
# Extrahepatic bile ducts #
Pancreas The pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the Digestion, digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a ...


Chapter 6: Respiratory system

#
Nose A nose is a sensory organ and respiratory structure in vertebrates. It consists of a nasal cavity inside the head, and an external nose on the face. The external nose houses the nostrils, or nares, a pair of tubes providing airflow through the ...
#
Paranasal sinuses Paranasal sinuses are a group of four paired air-filled spaces that surround the nasal cavity. The maxillary sinuses are located under the eyes; the frontal sinuses are above the eyes; the ethmoidal sinuses are between the eyes and the sphe ...
#
Larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ (anatomy), organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal ...
# Tracheobronchial tree #
Lung The lungs are the primary Organ (biology), organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the Vertebral column, backbone on either side of the heart. Their ...
s


Chapter 7: Thoracic cavity

#
Pleural cavity The pleural cavity, or pleural space (or sometimes intrapleural space), is the potential space between the pleurae of the pleural sac that surrounds each lung. A small amount of serous pleural fluid is maintained in the pleural cavity to enabl ...
#
Mediastinum The mediastinum (from ;: mediastina) is the central compartment of the thoracic cavity. Surrounded by loose connective tissue, it is a region that contains vital organs and structures within the thorax, mainly the heart and its vessels, the eso ...


Chapter 8: Urinary system

#
Kidney In humans, the kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped blood-filtering organ (anatomy), organs that are a multilobar, multipapillary form of mammalian kidneys, usually without signs of external lobulation. They are located on the left and rig ...
#
Ureter The ureters are tubes composed of smooth muscle that transport urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In an adult human, the ureters typically measure 20 to 30 centimeters in length and about 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter. They are lin ...
#
Urinary bladder The bladder () is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys. In placental mammals, urine enters the bladder via the ureters and exits via the urethra during urination. In humans, the ...
#
Urethra The urethra (: urethras or urethrae) is the tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus, through which Placentalia, placental mammals Urination, urinate and Ejaculation, ejaculate. The external urethral sphincter is a striated ...


Chapter 9: Genital systems

# Female genital system # Male genital system


Chapter 10: Abdominopelvic cavity


Part IV: Integrating systems I


Chapter 11: Endocrine glands

# Hypophysis #
Pineal gland The pineal gland (also known as the pineal body or epiphysis cerebri) is a small endocrine gland in the brain of most vertebrates. It produces melatonin, a serotonin-derived hormone, which modulates sleep, sleep patterns following the diurnal c ...
#
Thyroid gland The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, it is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck below the Adam's apple. It consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by ...
#
Parathyroid gland Parathyroid glands are small endocrine glands in the neck of humans and other tetrapods. Humans usually have four parathyroid glands, located on the back of the thyroid gland in variable locations. The parathyroid gland produces and secretes par ...
s # Suprarenal gland # Paraganglia


Chapter 12: Cardiovascular system

#
Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...
#
Lymph Lymph () is the fluid that flows through the lymphatic system, a system composed of lymph vessels (channels) and intervening lymph nodes whose function, like the venous system, is to return fluid from the tissues to be recirculated. At the ori ...
# Vessels # Vascular plexuses #
Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
# Pulmonary vessels # Cardiac vessels # Systemic arteries # Systemic veins # Great lymphatic vessels


Chapter 13: Lymphoid organs

# Primary lymphoid organs #
Secondary lymphoid organs The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphoid organs, lympha ...


Part V: Integrating systems II


Chapter 14: Nervous system

#
Central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...
#
Peripheral nervous system The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is one of two components that make up the nervous system of Bilateria, bilateral animals, with the other part being the central nervous system (CNS). The PNS consists of nerves and ganglia, which lie outside t ...
# Autonomic division of peripheral nervous system


Chapter 15: Sense organs

# Olfactory organ #
Eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
#
Ear In vertebrates, an ear is the organ that enables hearing and (in mammals) body balance using the vestibular system. In humans, the ear is described as having three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear co ...
# Gustatory organ


Chapter 16: The integument

#
Skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...
# Skin appendages #
Subcutaneous tissue The subcutaneous tissue (), also called the hypodermis, hypoderm (), subcutis, or superficial fascia, is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system in vertebrates. The types of cells found in the layer are fibroblasts, adipose cells, and ma ...
#
Breast The breasts are two prominences located on the upper ventral region of the torso among humans and other primates. Both sexes develop breasts from the same embryology, embryological tissues. The relative size and development of the breasts is ...
#
Scalp The scalp is the area of the head where head hair grows. It is made up of skin, layers of connective and fibrous tissues, and the membrane of the skull. Anatomically, the scalp is part of the epicranium, a collection of structures covering th ...
#
Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...


See also

*
Terminologia Embryologica The ''Terminologia Embryologica'' (''TE'') is a standardized list of words used in the description of human embryologic and fetal structures. It was produced by the Federative International Committee on Anatomical Terminology on behalf of the In ...
* Terminologia Histologica *
Foundational Model of Anatomy The Foundational Model of Anatomy Ontology (FMA) is a reference ontology for the domain of human anatomy. It is a symbolic representation of the canonical, phenotypic structure of an organism; a spatial-structural ontology of anatomical entities an ...
, an ontology using current naming conventions *
Anatomical terminology Anatomical terminology is a specialized system of terms used by anatomists, zoologists, and health professionals, such as doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists, to describe the structures and functions of the body. This terminology incorpor ...


References


External links

TA1998:
Terminologia Anatomica 1998 on FIPAT site


- unofficial TA2:
''Terminologia Anatomica'', Second Edition, International Anatomical Terminology
- official publication
TA2Viewer
- a searchable, dynamic web application of TA2 (2019), made in an official collaboration
''Terminologia Anatomica''
by Anatonomina - unofficial site with pictures and videos

- unofficial {{Authority control Human anatomy Anatomical terminology