a. and sb. [ad. L. laterālis, f. later-, latus side. Cf. F. latéral.] A. adj.
1. Of or pertaining to the side; situated at or issuing from the side; side-. † In quot. 1600, of a look: Directed sideways.
Lateral branch (of a family): a branch descended from a brother or sister of a person in the direct line of descent. Lateral moraine: see the sb. † Judge lateral: an assessor; cf. side judge.
1600. B. Jonson, Underwoods, xxiii. (In Authorem), One coming with a lateral view, Unto a cunning piece wrought perspective, Wants faculty to make a censure true.
1611. Florio, Laterale, laterall, of one or some side, belonging to a side.
1681. W. Robertson, Phraseol. Gen. (1693), 779. A Judge-lateral, assessor.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), s.v., Judge Lateral, one that assists and sits on the Bench with another Judge: an Assessour.
1730. A. Gordon, Maffei’s Amphith., 287. The four lateral Arches at the two greatest Gates.
1787. M. Cutler, in Life, etc. (1888), I. 289. He has but one son, whose name is Jesse, which has been much of a family name in the lateral branches.
1820. W. Irving, Sketch Bk., II. 200. I … found my way to a lateral portal which was the every-day entrance to the mansion.
1831. Brewster, Optics, xxxi. 261. There is produced the appearance of two persons moving in opposite directions, constituting what has been termed a lateral mirage.
1850. Merivale, Rom. Emp. (1865), I. vii. 284. By a lateral movement they reached the banks of the river.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., II. xviii. 325. In virtue of the quicker central flow the lateral ice is subject to an oblique strain.
1867. F. Francis, Angling, i. (1880), 14. He should … let his motions be as little lateral as possible.
1874. Micklethwaite, Mod. Par. Churches, 23. All the main entrances, whether western or lateral.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., 118. The river and its lateral streams.
† 2. Existing or moving side by side. Of winds: Coming from the same half (eastern or western) of the horizon. Also in comb. lateral-sited adj.
c. 1611. Chapman, Iliad, IX. 4. As two lateral-sited winds (the West wind and the North) Meete at the Thracian seas blacke breast.
1635. Swan, Spec. M. (1670), 145. Eurus on the one side and Cæcias on the other, being … lateral winds pertinent to the East.
1654. H. L’Estrange, Chas. I. (1655), 221. The Commons Charge and the Earls Defence run lateral and in pale each with other.
1662. Hobbes, Seven Prob., Wks. 1845, VII. 42. It must needs move the air before it, even to the earth, and the earth repel it, and so make lateral winds every way.
1667. Milton, P. L., X. 705. Eurus and Zephir, with thir lateral noise, Sirocco and Libecchio.
3. Specific scientific uses.
a. Anat. and Zool. Situated on one side or other of the mesial plane, as lateral eye, fin, lobe, ventricle.
1722. Quincy, Lex. Physico-Med. (ed. 2), 50. This Plexus reaches from one lateral Ventricle to the other, passing under the Fornix, above the third Ventricle.
1826. Kirby & Sp., Entomol., IV. 314. Lateral … when they [eyes] are placed in the side of the head.
1830. R. Knox, Béclard’s Anat., 232. The external ligaments are … placed at the two sides of the articulation, and for this reason are called lateral ligaments.
1840. E. Wilson, Anat. Vade M. (1842), 340. The lateral sinuses are often unequal in size.
1870. Rolleston, Anim. Life, Introd. 62. The sensory organs developed in Fish, in connection with the ‘lateral line.’
1880. Günther, Fishes, 68. The articulation with the vertebral column is effected by a pair of lateral condyles.
b. Bot. Belonging to, situated or borne upon the side of an organ, as lateral bud, flower, petal.
1776–96. Withering, Brit. Plants (ed. 3), II. 306. Umbels on fruit-stalks, both lateral, and terminating.
1787. Families of Plants, I. 5. The lateral divisions of the exterior corol.
1830. Lindley, Nat. Syst. Bot., 216. The two carpellary leaves of which the fruit is formed are lateral, or right and left with respect to the common axis of the inflorescence.
1837. Macgillivray, Withering’s Brit. Plants (ed. 4), 88. Lateral flowers destitute of germen.
1875. Bennett & Dyer, trans. Sachs’ Bot., 155. Lateral shoots arise far most frequently at a greater distance from the apex of the stem than the youngest leaves.
c. Path. Of diseases: (a) Affecting the side or sides of the body; (b) confined to one side of the body (see quots.); (c) (of curvature of the spine) directed sideways.
1724. Bailey, Lateral Disease [trans. L. morbus lateralis], the Pleurisy.
1727–41. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Palsy, Lateral Palsy, called also Hemiplegia, is the same disease with the paraplegia; only that it affects but one side of the body.
1852. Miller, Practice Surg. (ed. 2), xxiv. 303. Lateral curvature of the spine.
1878. trans. Ziemssen’s Cycl. Med., XIII. 453. That form of chronic myelitis called lateral sclerosis.
d. Surg. Lateral operation: a mode of cutting for the stone, in which the prostate gland and neck of the bladder are divided laterally. Also lateral lithotomy.
1727–41. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Lithotomy, The lateral operation, invented by Frere Jacques … of the third order of S. Francis.
1730. Hist. Litteraria, I. 416. The lateral Operation for the Extraction of the Stone.
1870. T. Holmes, Syst. Surgery (ed. 2), IV. 1059. The causes of death after lateral lithotomy are the following.
e. Conch. Situated on one side or other of the hinge, as lateral tooth.
1816. T. Brown, Elem. Conchol., 20. Lateral Teeth are teeth which diverge from the umbo.
1828. Stark, Elem. Nat. Hist., II. 106. Shell regular, inequivalve, inequilateral; a single primary tooth in each valve … no lateral teeth.
† f. Math. Of a quantity: Of the first power. Of equations: Linear. Obs.
1674. S. Jeake, Arith. (1701), IV. IV. iv. 645. If 170 304 782 be divided … by 1250, the Quotient shall be Quadratical, and if by 6480, the Quotient shall be Lateral. Ibid. If then the lateral Coefficient 15, and √ 9160, and √ c 1250, and √ qq 6480 be made Sursolids, they shall produce four Homogeneal Species of Affections.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), Lateral Equation (in Algebra), such an Equation as has but one Root.
g. Cryst. Applied to those axes of a crystal or crystalline form that are inclined to the main or ‘vertical’ axis; also to edges, faces, or angles, connected with such axes.
1805–17. R. Jameson, Char. Min. (ed. 3), 104. Lateral edges are the edges of the lateral faces of the table, so that there are eight lateral edges in a four-sided table.
1823. H. J. Brooke, Introd. Crystallogr., 207. Class g. Lateral solid angles replaced by single planes inclining on the superior edges.
1851. Richardson, Geol., v. (1855), 86. The edges produced by the meeting of the lateral planes, are termed lateral edges.
1868. Dana, Min., Introd. 21. [The Hexagonal] system differs from the Tetragonal in having three equal lateral axes … instead of two; the vertical … is at right angles to the lateral.
h. Physics and Mechanics. Acting or placed at right angles to the line of motion or of strain.
Lateral pressure or stress, a pressure or stress at right angles to the length, as of a beam or bridge.
Lateral strength, strength which resists a tendency to fracture arising from lateral pressure. (Webster, 1864.)
1803. J. Wood, Princ. Mech., vii. 154. When the lateral motion is entirely prevented by the adhesion of the body to the plane.
1881. Young, Every Man his own Mechanic, § 441. 193. We must now proceed to the method of forming lateral joints.
1885. J. A. L. Waddell, Syst. Iron Railr. Bridges Japan, 246. Lateral Rod … Lateral Strut … Lateral System.
B. sb.
1. A lateral or side part, member or object; † a wind that is ‘lateral’ (see A. 2) to another (obs.); a lateral shoot, tooth, branch, etc.
1635. Swan, Spec. M. (1670), 145. These winds … if at any time they blow up rain … then continue it by the space of a whole day. The reason of which I take to be, because … their laterals, not being absolutely of the same quality, may arise together with them and so bring Rain.
1730. A. Gordon, Maffei’s Amphith., 298. In the Walls of these Laterals are two Hollows.
1851. Beck’s Florist, 107. As laterals are produced, I pinch them off; but I never stop the main stem.
1851–6. Woodward, Mollusca, 157. Chiton Squamosus … lingual teeth 3; median small, laterals large.
1856. Olmsted, Slave States, 366. From this trunk [road] there are many laterals.
1860. Delamer, Kitch. Gard. (1861), 177. Look over tomatoes, and suppress all useless laterals.
1866. Tate, Brit. Mollusks, iii. 50. The term laterals is employed … to designate a series of teeth between the rachidian and the uncini.
1887. Pall Mall Gaz., 22 June, 5/2. Ilissus … would not make a lateral for an irrigating ditch in Colorado.
† 2. One of a series of numbers in arithmetical progression from which a series of ‘triangular’ numbers are formed by the summation of each successive term and all those preceding it. See FIGURATE a. Obs.
1706. W. Jones, Syn. Palmar. Matheseos, 162.
