Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Lateral
Lat′er-al
,Adj.
[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.)
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 thingLateral 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.
Webster 1828 Edition
Lateral
LAT'ERAL
,Adj.
1.
Pertaining to the side; as the lateral view of an object.2.
Proceeding from the side; as the lateral branches of a tree; lateral shoots.Definition 2024
lateral
lateral
See also: latéral
English
Adjective
lateral (comparative more lateral, superlative most lateral)
- To the side; of or pertaining to the side.
- Instead of a promotion, I opted for a lateral move to a similar position in the marketing department.
- (anatomy) Pertaining to the left or right of the body; further from the midline.
- The medial side of the knee faces the other knee, while the outer side of the knee is lateral.
- A fish senses changes in hydrodynamic pressure with its lateral line.
- (linguistics) 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
Antonyms
- (anatomy): medial
- (geometric): longitudinal, vertical
Derived terms
Coordinate terms
- (human anatomy direction adjectives) anterior, distal, dorsal, lateral, medial, posterior, proximal, ventral (Category: en:Medicine) [edit]
Translations
of or pertaining to the side
pertaining to the left or right of the body
linguistics: pertaining to certain sounds
|
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)
- (American football) a lateral pass
- (business) An employee hired for a position at the same organizational level or salary as their previous position.
See also
-
lateral consonant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Verb
lateral (third-person singular simple present laterals, present participle lateralling or lateraling, simple past and past participle lateralled or lateraled)
- To move (oneself or something) in a lateral direction
- (American football) To execute a lateral pass
Related terms
German
Etymology
In the 20th century, from Latin laterālis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lateˈʀaːl/
- Rhymes: -aːl
Adjective
lateral (not comparable)
Declension
Declension of lateral
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
| predicative | er ist lateral | sie ist lateral | es ist lateral | sie sind lateral | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | lateraler | laterale | laterales | laterale |
| genitive | lateralen | lateraler | lateralen | lateraler | |
| dative | lateralem | lateraler | lateralem | lateralen | |
| accusative | lateralen | laterale | laterales | laterale | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der laterale | die laterale | das laterale | die lateralen |
| genitive | des lateralen | der lateralen | des lateralen | der lateralen | |
| dative | dem lateralen | der lateralen | dem lateralen | den lateralen | |
| accusative | den lateralen | die laterale | das laterale | die lateralen | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein lateraler | eine laterale | ein laterales | (keine) lateralen |
| genitive | eines lateralen | einer lateralen | eines lateralen | (keiner) lateralen | |
| dative | einem lateralen | einer lateralen | einem lateralen | (keinen) lateralen | |
| accusative | einen lateralen | eine laterale | ein laterales | (keine) lateralen | |
Portuguese
Adjective
lateral m, f (plural laterais, comparable)
- lateral (of, pertaining to or located in the side)
- of lesser importance
Noun
lateral f (plural laterais)
- (sports) sideline (line defining the side boundary of a playing field)
- (sports) throw-in (set-piece where the ball is thrown back into play)
- (phonetics) lateral (sound in which the airstream proceeds along the sides of the tongue)
Noun
lateral m f (plural laterais)