LATERAL

lateral

(adjective) lying away from the median and sagittal plane of a body; “lateral lemniscus”

lateral, sidelong

(adjective) situated at or extending to the side; “the lateral branches of a tree”; “shot out sidelong boughs”- Tennyson

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adjective

lateral (comparative more lateral, superlative most lateral)

To the side; of or pertaining to the side.

Non-linear or unconventional, as in, lateral thinking.

(anatomy) Pertaining to the left or right of the body; further from the midline.

(physics) At right angles to a line of motion or strain.

(phonetics, phonology) Pertaining to sounds generated by partially blocking the egress of the airstream with the tip of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge, leaving space on one or both sides of the occlusion for air passage.

Synonyms

• side, sidely

Antonyms

• (anatomy): medial

• (geometric): longitudinal, vertical

Noun

lateral (plural laterals)

An object, such as a passage or a protrusion, that is situated on the side of something else.

(linguistics) A sound produced through lateral pronunciation (such as /l/ in lateral).

Coordinate terms: approximant, fricative, nasal, trill, plosive

(American football) A lateral pass.

(business) An employee hired for a position at the same organizational level or salary as their previous position.

Verb

lateral (third-person singular simple present laterals, present participle lateraling or lateralling, simple past and past participle lateraled or lateralled)

To move (oneself or something) in a lateral direction.

(American football) To execute a lateral pass.

Source: Wiktionary

Lat"er*al, a. Etym: [L. lateralis, fr. latus, lateris, side: cf. F.latéral.]

1. Of or pertaining to the sides; as, the lateral walls of a house; the lateral branches of a tree.

2. (Anat.)

Definition: Lying at, or extending toward, the side; away from the mesial plane; external; -- opposed to mesial.

3. Directed to the side; as, a lateral view of a thing. Lateral cleavage (Crystallog.), cleavage parallel to the lateral planes.

– Lateral equation (Math.), an equation of the first degree. [Obs.]

– Lateral line (Anat.), in fishes, a line of sensory organs along either side of the body, often marked by a distinct line of color.

– Lateral pressure or stress (Mech.), a pressure or stress at right angles to the length, as of a beam or bridge; -- distinguished from longitudinal pressure or stress.

– Lateral strength (Mech.), strength which resists a tendency to fracture arising from lateral pressure.

– Lateral system (Bridge Building), the system of horizontal braces (as between two vertical trusses) by which lateral stiffness is secured.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition