The processes of gross examination and description require knowledge of anatomy, surgical pathology, and a basic descriptive vocabulary. In medicine, "gross" means observed without a microscope. For purposes of communication, certain definitions, concepts, and orientations must be regarded as standard.
There is a brief review of gross anatomy and dissection terms:
| Term | Meaning |
| Anterior (ventral) | Towards the front of the body |
| Posterior (dorsal) | Towards the back of the body |
| Superior (cephalic, cephalad) | Towards the head |
| Inferior (caudal, caudad) | Towards the feet |
| Medial | Median plane (midline) of the body |
| Lateral | Away from the median plane of the body |
| Proximal | Nearest the trunk or point of origin |
| Distal | Farthest from the trunk or point of origin |
| Superficial | Nearest to the skin surface |
| Deep | Farthest from the skin surface |
| Transverse | A horizontal plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the body or a body part with division into superior and inferior parts |
| Coronal | A vertical plane that divides the body or body structure into anterior and posterior parts |
| Sagittal | A vertical plane parallel to the median plane that divides the body or a body part into medial and lateral part (parasagittal) |
There are different terms that can be used to describe how tissue is submitted:
| Term | Meaning |
| In toto | All the tissue is submitted without it being cut, stained, or manipulated |
| Entirely | Tissue is submitted entirely but it has been altered |
| Representatively | Tissue is altered, but not entirely submitted |
The two main methods of margin submission are en face and perpendicular:
| Term | Meaning |
| En face (shaved section) | Taken parallel to the plane of resection |
| On edge (perpendicular) | Taken perpendicular to the plane of resection |
