LATERAL


Meaning of LATERAL in English

■ adjective

1》 of, at, towards, or from the side or sides.

2》 Phonetics (of a consonant, especially the English clear l ) pronounced with partial closure of the air passage by the tongue, which allows the breath to flow on one or both sides of the point of contact.

■ noun

1》 a side part of something, especially a shoot or branch growing out from the side of a stem.

2》 Phonetics a ~ consonant.

3》 American Football a pass thrown sideways or back.

Derivatives

~ly adverb

Origin

ME: from L. ~is , from latus , later- 'side'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.