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lateral definition

lat·eral (lat′ər əl)

adjective

  1. of, at, from, on, or toward the side; sideways lateral movement
  2. articulated by partial blockage of the air passage with the tongue in such a way that breath escapes along one or both sides of the tongue
  3. Bot. growing on the side of a stem or branch a lateral bud

Etymology: L lateralis < latus (gen. lateris), a side, prob. akin to latus, broad < IE *stlā-to- < base *stel-, to spread out > Arm lain, broad

noun

  1. anything located, done, etc. to the side; lateral part, growth, branch, etc.
  2. ☆ Football a short pass parallel to the goal line or in a slightly backward direction
    in full lateral pass
  3. Mining a drift off to the side of and parallel to a main drift
  4. Phonet. a lateral sound, as (l)

transitive verb, intransitive verb

Football to pass (the ball) as a lateral ()

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical lateral definition - medical

lateral Synonyms

lateral

modif.

oblique, sidelong, side by side; see parallel 1, side.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

lateral Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • cut: Cut any lateral shoots back flush with the stem from which they grow.

Adjective modifier

  • more: We should be far more lateral thinking than we are.

Preposition: on

  • cassette: Mark lateral on the cassette with a lead L/R marker.

Modifying Another Word

  • even: Rather than the ongoing entrenched ' no surrender ' stances Mr Anthony felt that ' some radical, even lateral thinking was long overdue.

Modifies a noun

  • sclerosis: Many people with this form of MND may develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis later.

Noun used with modifier

  • volcano: Volcano lateral collapses also produce giant landslide deposits and leave lateral collapse scars.
lateral usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"lateral." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/lateral>

APA Style

lateral. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/lateral

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