Anatomical Position Directions. Image modified from public domain images of body and directions added by T.Orton 2017

Superior: above (ex: the head is superior to feet).

Inferior: below (ex: feet are inferior to the head).

Cephalic: relative term meaning nearer to the head (ex: collar bone is cephalic to the sternum).

Caudal: relative term meaning nearer to the tail (ex: sternum is caudal to the collar bone).

Anterior: toward the front of the body (ex: the nose is anterior to the brain).

Posterior: toward the back of the body (ex: the brain is posterior to the nose).

Ventral: toward the belly; equivalent to anterior (ex: the breast is ventral to the spine).

Dorsal: toward the back; equivalent to posterior (ex: the spine is dorsal to the breast).

Proximal: nearer to point of reference or attachment (ex: the shoulder is proximal to the elbow, or the elbow is proximal to the wrist).

Distal: farther away from a point of reference or attachment (ex: the elbow is distal to the shoulder, or the wrist is distal to the elbow.

Lateral: away from the median plane of the body (ex: the shoulder is lateral to the head, or the ear is lateral to the brain).

Medial: toward median plane of the body (ex: the head is medial to the shoulder, or the nose is medial to the cheek).

Superficial: toward, at, or pertaining to the surface (ex: the skin is superficial to the muscles).

Deep: away from or below the surface (ex: the muscles are deep to the skin).