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Entry 6 senses · 3 variants Webster, 1913

Lateral

/lăt'-ẽr-əl/ · Lat·er·al · IPA /ˈlætəɹəl/
01 a. Of or pertaining to the sides; as, the lateral walls of a house; the lateral branches of a tree.
  1. 1.
    Of or pertaining to the sides; as, the lateral walls of a house; the lateral branches of a tree.
  2. 2.
    Lying at, or extending toward, the side; away from the mesial plane; external; -- opposed to mesial.(Anat.)
  3. 3.
    Directed to the side; as, a lateral view of a thing.
Phrases & compounds
Lateral cleavage — cleavage parallel to the lateral planes.
Lateral equation — an equation of the first degree.
Lateral line — in fishes, a line of sensory organs along either side of the body, often marked by a distinct line of color.
Lateral pressure [or] stress — a pressure or stress at right angles to the length, as of a beam or bridge; -- distinguished from longitudinal pressure or stress.
Lateral strength — strength which resists a tendency to fracture arising from lateral pressure.
Lateral system — the system of horizontal braces (as between two vertical trusses) by which lateral stiffness is secured.
02 n. A short pass to a receiver who is upfield from the passer, i.e. is behind the passer relative to the direction of the passer's goal.
  1. 1.
    A short pass to a receiver who is upfield from the passer, i.e. is behind the passer relative to the direction of the passer's goal.(Football)
  2. 2.
    A part or extension of something that points sideways, as a drift in a mine that goes to the side from the main one.
03 v. t. & i. To pass the footbal to a receiver who is behind the passer; to make a lateral pass; as, the ball was lateraled to the fullback, who ran it …
  1. 1.
    To pass the footbal to a receiver who is behind the passer; to make a lateral pass; as, the ball was lateraled to the fullback, who ran it for a touchdown.(Football)