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

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlæt(ə)ɹəl/
• (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): /ˈlat͡ʃ(ə)ɹəl/, /ˈlat(ə)ɹəl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlætəɹəl/, [ˈlæɾəɹəɫ]
• Rhymes: -ætəɹəl

Adjective

lateral (comparative more lateral, superlative most lateral)

1. To the side; of or pertaining to the side.
   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.

      Antonym: medial

      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.

   3. (pathology) Affecting the side or sides of the body, or confined to one side of the body.
      • 2025 April 10, Dan Heching, “Eric Dane shares that he has been diagnosed with ALS”, in CNN‎^[1], archived from the original on 20 February 2026:

        The “Euphoria” and “Grey’s Anatomy” actor announced on Thursday that he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

   4. (physics) Acting or placed at right angles to a line of motion or strain.
   5. At the same level in hierarchy or rank, especially pertaining to a movement that does not involve a change in rank, status, or level.

      Instead of a promotion, I opted for a lateral move to a similar position in the marketing department.

      lateral hiring

      a lateral transfer

2. (UK) Non-linear or unconventional, as in, lateral thinking; outside the box.
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 adjectivesedit

• anterior
• distal
• dorsal
• lateral
• medial
• posterior
• proximal
• ventral

Derived terms

• acousticolateral
• ambilateral
• anterodorsolateral
• anterolateral
• apicolateral
• axiolateral
• basolateral, basilateral
• bilateral
• caudolateral
• centrolateral
• collateral
• contralateral, controlateral
• costolateral
• counterlateral
• craniolateral
• dextrolateral
• distolateral
• dorsolateral
• ectolateral
• equilateral
• fricolateral
• 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
• lateral hood
• lateralise
• lateralism
• lateralist
• laterality
• lateralize
• lateral line
• laterally
• lateral malleolus, lateral mal
• lateral mark
• lateral meningocele syndrome
• lateral meristem
• lateral moraine
• lateralmost
• lateraloccipital
• lateral pass
• lateral pectoral nerve
• lateral pontine syndrome
• 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
• latericorn
• latero-
• laterolateral
• left lateral
• linguolateral
• longilateral
• matrilateral
• mediolateral
• mesiolateral
• mesolateral
• midlateral
• monolateral
• multilateral
• nonlateral
• obliquolateral
• occipitolateral
• octavolateral
• octolateral
• omnilateral
• orbitolateral
• palmarolateral
• paralateral
• 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: جانبی (jânebi), کناری (kenâri)
• 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)
• Polish: lateralny
• 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
• Polish: lateralny, boczny (pl)
• 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: spółgłoska boczna f
• Romanian: consoană laterală f
• Spanish: lateral (es) f
• Swedish: lateral (sv) c

See also

• lateral consonant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

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

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.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “lateral”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Catalan

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin laterālis.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

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 [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “lateral”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “lateral” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “lateral”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

German

Etymology

In the 20th century, from Latin laterālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lateˈʁaːl/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (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

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /latəˈral/ [la.t̪əˈral]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: la‧te‧ral

Adjective

latêral (comparative lebih lateral, superlative paling lateral)

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)

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
• kolateral
• multilateral

Further reading

• “lateral”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), 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

Malay

Etymology

Borrowed from English lateral.

Pronunciation

• (English-based) IPA^(key): /ˈletərəl/ [ˈlɛ.t̪ə.rəl]

  Rhymes: -rəl, -əl

• (spelling-based, uncommon) IPA^(key): /ˌlatəˈral/ [ˌla.t̪əˈral]

  Rhymes: -ral, -al

• Hyphenation: la‧te‧ral

Adjective

lateral (Jawi spelling لاترل, not comparable)

1. lateral

   Synonym: sisian

Further reading

• "lateral" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "lateral" at PRPM first version)

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin laterālis. Doublet of ladral, which was inherited.

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

Further reading

• “lateral”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin latus

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin laterālislbor.

French latéralbor.

Romanian lateral

Borrowed from French latéral, a learned borrowing from Latin laterālis.

Adjective

lateral m or n (feminine singular laterală, masculine plural laterali, feminine/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

Etymology tree

Latin latus

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin laterālisder.

Spanish lateral

Derived 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
• cadena lateral
• 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 [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Adjective

lateral (not comparable)

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

Declension

Inflection of lateral

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	lateral	—	—
neuter singular	lateralt	—	—
plural	laterala	—	—
masculine plural2	laterale	—	—
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	laterale	—	—
all	laterala	—	—

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

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 [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “lateral”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)