lateral

See also: latéral

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin laterālis (“belonging to the side”), from latus (“the side or flank”) +‎ -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlæt.ə.ɹəl/, /ˈlæt.ɹəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ætəɹəl

Adjective

lateral (comparative more lateral, superlative most lateral)

1. 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.

   2. (anatomy, zootomy) Situated on one side or other of the body or of an organ, especially in the region furthest from the median plane.

      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.

      Antonym: medial

   3. (pathology) Affecting the side or sides of the body, or confined to one side of the body.
   4. (physics) Acting or placed at right angles to a line of motion or strain.
2. (UK) Non-linear or unconventional, as in, lateral thinking.
3. (phonetics, phonology) (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.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “geometric”): longitudinal, vertical

Coordinate terms

• (human anatomy direction adjectives) anterior,‎ distal,‎ dorsal,‎ lateral,‎ medial,‎ posterior,‎ proximal,‎ ventral ^{(Category: en:Medicine) [edit]}

Derived terms

• acousticolateral
• ambilateral
• anterodorsolateral
• anterolateral
• apicolateral
• axiolateral
• basolateral, basilateral
• bilateral
• caudolateral
• centrolateral
• collateral
• contralateral, controlateral
• costolateral
• counterlateral
• craniolateral
• dextrolateral
• distolateral
• dorsolateral
• ectolateral
• equilateral
• frontolateral
• hemilateral
• heterolateral
• homolateral
• inferolateral
• intermediolateral
• ipsilateral
• isolateral
• labiolateral
• lateral aberration
• lateral area
• lateral canthus
• lateral cricoarytenoid muscle
• lateral cuneiform bone
• lateral flow test
• lateral fricative
• lateral gene transfer
• lateral geniculate nucleus
• lateralism
• lateralist
• laterality
• lateralize
• lateral line
• laterally
• lateral malleolus, lateral mal
• lateral mark
• lateral meristem
• lateralmost
• lateral pass
• lateral pectoral nerve
• lateral pterygoid muscle
• lateral pterygoid nerve
• lateral pterygoid plate
• lateral raise
• lateral rectus
• lateral scale
• lateral sclerosis
• lateral sinus
• lateral stratum
• lateral sulcus
• lateral surface
• lateral thinker
• lateral thinking
• lateral transfer
• lateralward
• latero-
• laterolateral
• left lateral
• linguolateral
• longilateral
• matrilateral
• mediolateral
• mesiolateral
• mesolateral
• midlateral
• monolateral
• multilateral
• nonlateral
• obliquolateral
• occipitolateral
• octavolateral
• octolateral
• omnilateral
• orbitolateral
• palmarolateral
• patrilateral
• plantolateral, plantarolateral
• plurilateral
• polylateral
• posterolateral, posteriolateral
• prolateral
• proximolateral
• quadrilateral
• quinquelateral
• retrolateral
• right lateral
• rostrolateral
• sacrolateral
• semilateral
• septilateral
• septolateral
• sinistrolateral
• sublateral
• superolateral
• supralateral
• temporolateral
• tetralateral
• trilateral
• unilateral
• ventrolateral
• ventrosublateral

 

Related terms

• vastus lateralis

Translations

of or pertaining to the side

• Albanian: anshëm (sq)
• Armenian: կողմնային (hy) (koġmnayin)
• Bulgarian: страничен (bg) (straničen)
• Catalan: lateral (ca)
• Czech: postranní (cs), boční (cs)
• Esperanto: lateralo
• Finnish: sivuttainen, sivu- (fi)
• French: latéral (fr)
• Galician: lateral (gl)
• German: lateral (de), seitlich (de), Seiten-
• Hungarian: oldalsó (hu), oldalirányú (hu), oldal- (hu)
• Ido: laterala (io)
• Irish: cliathánach
• Italian: laterale (it)
• Japanese: 横 (ja) (yoko)
• Persian: کناری، جانبی (kenâri, jânebi)
• Polish: lateralny, boczny (pl)
• Portuguese: lateral (pt)
• Romanian: lateral (ro)
• Russian: боково́й (ru) (bokovój), латера́льный (ru) (latɛrálʹnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: бочни, латералан
• Spanish: lateral (es)
• Tagalog: panagiliran

pertaining to the left or right of the body

• Catalan: lateral (ca)
• Czech: laterální (cs)
• Finnish: kylki- (fi), ulko- (fi), lateraalinen (fi)
• French: latéral (fr)
• German: lateral (de)
• Greek: έξω (el) (éxo)
• Hungarian: oldal- (hu), laterális (hu)
• Italian: laterale (it)
• Portuguese: lateral (pt)
• Romanian: lateral (ro)
• Russian: латера́льный (ru) (latɛrálʹnyj), боково́й (ru) (bokovój)
• Spanish: lateral (es)
• Tagalog: panagiliran

pertaining to certain sounds

• Arabic: سَاكِن (ar) (sākin), جَانِبِيّ (jānibiyy)
• Armenian: կողմնային (hy) (koġmnayin), կողմնական (hy) (koġmnakan), կողքային (hy) (koġkʻayin)
• Catalan: lateral (ca)
• Czech: laterální (cs)
• Finnish: lateraalinen (fi)
• Galician: lateral (gl)
• German: lateral (de)
• Hungarian: laterális (hu)
• Japanese: 側面音 (sokumen'on)
• Navajo: ałtsʼááyol
• Romanian: lateral (ro)
• Russian: латера́льный (ru) (latɛrálʹnyj)

Noun

lateral (plural laterals)

1. An object, such as a passage or a protrusion, that is situated on the side of something else.
2. (linguistics) A sound produced through lateral pronunciation (such as /l/ in lateral).

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

3. (American football) A lateral pass.
4. (business) An employee hired for a position at the same organizational level or salary as their previous position.
5. A lateral canal, a canal built alongside an existing stream.
   • 1956, United States House Appropriations Committee, Public Works Appropriations for 1957, page 703:

     […] Canal and laterals, section 4, and the first part of section 5; and Miller Canal and laterals.

   • 1971, Howard S. Latham, James M. Verzuh, Reducing Hazards to People and Animals on Reclamation ..., page 7:

     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.

Translations

sound produced through lateral pronunciation

• Czech: laterála f, boková souhláska f
• Finnish: lateraaliäänne
• Galician: lateral (gl) f
• German: Lateral (de) m, Laterallaut (de) m, Seitenlaut (de) m
• Hungarian: laterális hang, oldalsó hang
• Korean: 설측음(舌側音) (seolcheugeum)
• Polish: boczny (pl), spółgłoska boczna f
• Romanian: consoană laterală f
• Swedish: lateral (sv) c

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)

1. To move (oneself or something) in a lateral direction.
2. (American football) To execute a lateral pass.

Derived terms

• lateraling

References

• “lateral”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “lateral”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “lateral”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin laterālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [lə.təˈɾal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [la.teˈɾal]

Adjective

lateral m or f (masculine and feminine plural laterals)

1. lateral

Derived terms

• lateralitzar
• lateralment

Noun

lateral m or f by sense (plural laterals)

1. wingback
2. (castells) a casteller in the pinya, who stands beside the baix and holds the legs of one of the segons to prevent them from swaying sideways

Further reading

• “lateral” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “lateral”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “lateral” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “lateral” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

German

Etymology

In the 20th century, from Latin laterālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lateˈʁaːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

lateral (strong nominative masculine singular lateraler, not comparable)

1. lateral

Declension

Positive forms of lateral (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
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

Indonesian

Etymology

Internationalism, borrowed from Dutch lateraal, from French latéral, from Latin laterālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la.tə.ˈral/
• Rhymes: -ral
• Hyphenation: la‧tê‧ral

Adjective

latêral

1. lateral:
   1. to the side; of or pertaining to the side.
   2. (phonetics, phonology) 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.

Noun

latêral (plural lateral-lateral, first-person possessive lateralku, second-person possessive lateralmu, third-person possessive lateralnya)

1. lateral:
   1. (anatomy) an object, such as a passage or a protrusion, that is situated on the side of something else.
   2. (phonetics, phonology) A sound produced through lateral pronunciation (such as /l/ in lateral).

Related terms

• bilateral
• multilateral

 

Further reading

• “lateral” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Interlingua

Adjective

lateral (not comparable)

1. lateral

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /la.teˈɾaw/ [la.teˈɾaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /lɐ.tɨˈɾal/ [lɐ.tɨˈɾaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /lɐ.tɨˈɾal/ [lɐ.tɨˈɾaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /lɐ.tɨˈɾa.li/

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: la‧te‧ral

Adjective

lateral m or f (plural laterais)

1. lateral (of, pertaining to or located in the side)
2. of lesser importance

Derived terms

• lateralmente

Noun

lateral f (plural laterais)

1. (sports) sideline (line defining the side boundary of a playing field)
2. (sports) throw-in (set-piece where the ball is thrown back into play)
3. (phonetics) lateral (sound in which the airstream proceeds along the sides of the tongue)

Noun

lateral m or f by sense (plural laterais)

1. (sports) winger (offensive player who plays on either side of the centre)

   Synonym: ala

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French latéral, from Latin lateralis.

Adjective

lateral m or n (feminine singular laterală, masculine plural laterali, feminine and neuter plural laterale)

1. lateral

Declension

Declension of lateral

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	lateral		laterală	laterali	laterale
	definite	lateralul		laterala	lateralii	lateralele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	lateral		laterale	laterali	laterale
	definite	lateralului		lateralei	lateralilor	lateralelor

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin laterālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lateˈɾal/ [la.t̪eˈɾal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: la‧te‧ral

Adjective

lateral m or f (masculine and feminine plural laterales)

1. lateral, to the side
2. (linguistics) lateral

Derived terms

• anterolateral
• cisura lateral
• decúbito lateral
• esclerosis lateral amiotrófica
• inferolateral
• lateralmente
• saque lateral
• superolateral

 

Related terms

• lado
• lateralidad

 

Noun

lateral m or f by sense (plural laterales)

1. (linguistics) lateral
2. (soccer) full-back, fullback (a player who plays on the left or right side of defence)
3. (soccer) throw-in

   Synonyms: saque lateral, saque de banda

See also

• (soccer) extremo, carrilero, defensa, central

Further reading

• “lateral”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Adjective

lateral (not comparable)

1. to the side, lateral
2. (linguistics) lateral

Declension

Inflection of lateral
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	lateral	—	—
Neuter singular	lateralt	—	—
Plural	laterala	—	—
Masculine plural3	laterale	—	—
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	laterale	—	—
All	laterala	—	—
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. 3) Dated or archaic

Noun

lateral c

1. (linguistics) a lateral consonant, a lateral

Declension

Declension of lateral

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	lateral	laterals
	definite	lateralen	lateralens
plural	indefinite	lateraler	lateralers
	definite	lateralerna	lateralernas

Further reading

• lateral in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• lateral in Svensk ordbok (SO)