Anatomy vs Physiology: What’s the Difference?

The difference at a glance

Anatomy focuses on the physical structure and parts of the body. Physiology examines how those parts function and interact biologically.

What does Anatomy mean?

noun · /əˈnæt.ə.mi/

The branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans, animals, and other living organisms — especially as revealed by dissection and the separation of parts. More broadly, the internal structure or workings of any complex thing.

Anatomy in a sentence

Gray's Anatomy, first published in 1858, remains in print — the language of the body so carefully rendered it survives every edition.

She had studied anatomy for three years before she understood that knowing where the heart is tells you very little about what the heart does.

What does Physiology mean?

noun · /ˌfɪz.iˈɒl.ə.dʒi/

The branch of biology concerned with the normal functioning of living organisms and their parts — how organs, tissues, and cells carry out their roles. Where anatomy asks 'what is there?', physiology asks 'what does it do?'.

Physiology in a sentence

Exercise physiology explains why recovery is as important as training — the adaptation happens in the rest, not the work.

The physiology of grief includes actual physical symptoms — the broken heart is partly broken physiology.

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