lateral

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   To the side

   To the side; of or pertaining to the side.

   • 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.
2. 2

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

3. 3

   (of a consonant, especially the English clear l) Pertaining to speech sounds generated by…

   (of a consonant, especially the English clear l) Pertaining to speech sounds generated by partially blocking the egress of the airstream with the tongue, leaving space on one or both sides of the occlusion for air passage.

4. ›+ 7 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

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

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

   2. 5

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

   3. 6

      A lateral pass.

   4. 7

      An employee hired for a position at the same organizational level or salary as their…

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

   5. 8

      A lateral canal, a canal built alongside an existing stream.

      • […] Canal and laterals, section 4, and the first part of section 5; and Miller Canal and laterals.
      • Two-thirds of the drownings, or 103, occurred along the back of the canal or lateral. […] 4 drownings per year occurred in reaches of canals or laterals protected by fencing.
   6. 9

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

   7. 10

      To execute a lateral pass.

The neighborhood

• antonymlongitudinalantonym(s) of “geometric”
• antonymverticalantonym(s) of “geometric”
• neighborvastus lateralis