Dis*sect" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dissected; p. pr. & vb. n. Dissecting.] [L. dissectus, p. p. of dissecare; dis- + secare to cut. See Section.]
1. Anat.
To divide into separate parts; to cut in pieces; to separate and expose the parts of, as an animal or a plant, for examination and to show their structure and relations; to anatomize.
2.
To analyze, for the purposes of science or criticism; to divide and examine minutely.
This paragraph . . . I have dissected for a sample.
Atterbury.
© Webster 1913.