Definition of "lateral" []

• Of, relating to, or situated at or on the side. (adjective)
• Of or constituting a change within an organization or a hierarchy to a position at a similar level, as in salary or responsibility, to the one being left: made a lateral move within the company. (adjective)
• Linguistics Of, relating to, or being a sound produced by breath passing along one or both sides of the tongue. (adjective)
• A lateral part, projection, passage, or appendage. (noun)
• Football A lateral pass. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "On the lateral side may be recognised the _lateral process (external tuberosity) _ of the calcaneus; the _trochlear process (peroneal tubercle) _ on the same bone; the _cuboid_; and the prominent base of the _fifth metatarsal_."
• "-- The term lateral should be understood, as applied to aeroplanes."
• "Mr de Bono, who lives in the Channel Islands, is originator of the term lateral thinking and is widely regarded as the world's leading authority in the field of creative and conceptual thinking."