adjective / noun / verb

lateral

LAT-er-ul/ˈlætərəl/

Directed to the side rather than upward or forward.

The backpack's lateral pocket holds a water bottle at its side.

A backpack in three-quarter view with a water bottle held in its clearly visible side pocket, emphasizing a feature located at the side rather than the front.

Etymology

Latin latus names a side or flank, and the suffix makes lateral mean “belonging to the side.” This directly underlies its use for positions at the side of a body or object.

In context

Rahul Damania, MD95:35

All right. A football player gets tackled in the lateral side of the knee while running in the red zone.

HyGuru | USMLE Step 1: 100 Concepts in Gross Anatomy

More examples

She accepts a lateral move to another department without changing rank.
The runner throws a lateral to a teammate behind him.
He laterals the ball before the defender tackles him.

Forms

lateral · laterals · lateraled · lateraling

laterally adverb — Toward the side or along it.

Similar words

sideways: Describes movement to a side, not equal rank.
horizontal: Describes a level direction, not necessarily a sideways one.