Medial vs. Lateral

Medial (adjective)

Of or pertaining to a mean or average.

“medial allegation”

Medial (adjective)

In or near the middle; not at either end.

Medial (adjective)

Pertaining to the inside; closer to the midline.

“The medial side of the knee faces the other knee, while the outer side of the knee is lateral.”

Medial (adjective)

Closer to the addressee.

Medial (adjective)

Central: produced when air flows across the center of the mouth over the tongue.

Medial (noun)

Any of various things that occur in the middle.

Lateral (adjective)

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.”

Lateral (adjective)

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

Lateral (adjective)

Pertaining to the left or right of the body; further from the midline.

“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.”

Lateral (adjective)

At right angles to a line of motion or strain.

Lateral (adjective)

Pertaining to sounds generated by partially blocking the egress of the airstream with the tip of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge, leaving space on one or both sides of the occlusion for air passage.

Lateral (noun)

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

Lateral (noun)

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

Lateral (noun)

A lateral pass.

Lateral (noun)

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

Lateral (verb)

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

Lateral (verb)

To execute a lateral pass.