lateral
noun/ˈlætərəl/
/ˈlætərəl/
- (specialist) a side part of something, especially a shoot or branch that grows out from the side of a plant or tree
- In winter, prune back laterals.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- (in American football) a pass thrown back or to the side
- Pryor threw a lateral to Palmer.
- (also lateral consonant)(phonetics) a consonant sound that is produced by placing a part of the tongue against the palate so that air flows around it on both sides, for example /l/ in lie
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin lateralis, from latus, later- ‘side’.
Check pronunciation:
lateral