n 1  :  the act or process of dissecting or separating: as  a  :  the surgical removal along natural lines of cleavage of tissues which are or might become diseased  b  :  the digital separation of tissues (as in heart-valve operations) - compare FINGER FRACTURE   c  :  a pathological splitting or separation of tissue - see AORTIC DISSECTION   2 a  :  something (as a part or the whole of an animal) that has been dissected  b  :  an anatomical specimen prepared in this way .
 
    
 
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