anti-vivisection
|an-ti-vi-vi-sec-tion|
/ˌæntiˌvɪvəˈsɛkʃən/
against dissecting/experimenting on living animals
Etymology
'anti-vivisection' originates from the combining form 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') and the noun 'vivisection' (from Latin elements 'vivus' meaning 'alive' and 'sectio'/'secare' meaning 'cutting').
'vivisection' was formed in modern European languages from Latin roots ('vivus' + 'sectio') and entered English usage in the 19th century; the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti') has long been used in English to form compounds meaning 'against', and the compound 'anti-vivisection' developed to denote opposition to the practice.
Initially the components referred literally to 'cutting the living' (vivisection) and 'against' (anti-); combined as 'anti-vivisection' the term has meant 'opposition to vivisection' since its formation and has retained that core meaning.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
opposition to vivisection; the movement or stance against performing experiments or dissections on live animals for scientific research
She joined the anti-vivisection movement last year.
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Adjective 1
expressing or related to opposition to vivisection
She wrote an anti-vivisection article for the local paper.
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Last updated: 2025/11/28 02:04