Biopsy is the removal and examination of living tissue to determine a diagnosis. The term is also applied to the specimen itself. Biopsy comes from the Greek word bios, meaning “life,” plus opsis,...

Biopsy is the removal and examination of living tissue to determine a diagnosis. The term is also applied to the specimen itself. Biopsy comes from the Greek word bios, meaning “life,” plus opsis, meaning “vision.” Together they mean the visualization of living tissue. Some other terms that apply to cells and tissues come from Latin. In vivo means “in the living body,” as contrasted with in vitro, which literally means “in glass” and refers to procedures and experiments done in the laboratory, as compared with studies done in living organisms. In situ means “in its original place,” and is used to refer to tumors that have not spread. In toto means “whole” or “completely,” as in referring to a structure or organ removed totally from the body. Postmortem literally means “after death,” as in referring to an autopsy performed to determine the cause of death.