adj. & n.
adj. 1 of, at, towards, or from the side or sides. 2 descended from a brother or sister of a person in direct line.
n. a side part etc., esp. a lateral shoot or branch. lateral line Zool. a visible line along the side of a fish consisting of a series of sense organs acting as vibration receptors. lateral thinking a method of solving problems indirectly or by apparently illogical methods. laterally adv.
[ L lateralis f. latus lateris side ]