- Lateral line
- Lateral Lat"er*al, a. [L. lateralis, fr. latus, lateris, side:
cf. F. lat['e]ral.]
1. Of or pertaining to the sides; as, the lateral walls of a
house; the lateral branches of a tree.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Anat.) Lying at, or extending toward, the side; away from the mesial plane; external; -- opposed to {mesial}. [1913 Webster]
3. Directed to the side; as, a lateral view of a thing. [1913 Webster]
{Lateral cleavage} (Crystallog.), cleavage parallel to the lateral planes.
{Lateral equation} (Math.), an equation of the first degree. [Obs.]
{Lateral line} (Anat.), 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} (Mech.), a pressure or stress at right angles to the length, as of a beam or bridge; -- distinguished from longitudinal pressure or stress.
{Lateral strength} (Mech.), strength which resists a tendency to fracture arising from lateral pressure.
{Lateral system} (Bridge Building), the system of horizontal braces (as between two vertical trusses) by which lateral stiffness is secured. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.