Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to:

Healthcare

* Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction *

Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle The lateral cricoarytenoid (also anterior cricoarytenoid) muscles extend from the lateral cricoid cartilage to the muscular process of the arytenoid cartilage. By rotating the arytenoid cartilages medially, these muscles adduct the vocal cords an ...

Lateral release (surgery) A lateral release is a surgical procedure to release tight capsular structures (lateral retinaculum) on the outer aspect (lateral aspect) of the kneecap (patella). This is usually performed because of knee pain related to the kneecap being pulled o ...

, a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap

Phonetics

Lateral consonant A lateral is a consonant in which the airstream proceeds along one or both of the sides of the tongue, but it is blocked by the tongue from going through the middle of the mouth. An example of a lateral consonant is the English ''L'', as in ''Larr ...

, an l-like consonant in which air flows along the sides of the tongue **

Lateral release (phonetics) In phonetics, a lateral release is the release of a plosive consonant into a lateral consonant. Such sounds are transcribed in the IPA with a superscript , for example as in English ''spotless'' . In English words such as ''middle'' in which, his ...

, the release of a plosive consonant into a lateral consonant

Other uses

*''Lateral'', journal of the

Cultural Studies Association The Cultural Studies Association (CSA) was founded in 2003 and is a non-profit membership association for scientific purposes in the field and discipline of cultural studies. Located in Chicago, IL, USA, the CSA is headed by an executive committee ...

Lateral canal {{About, water canals, lateral extensions of root canals of a tooth, Root canal#Root canal system A lateral canal is a canal built along the same right-of-way as an existing stream. Water for the canal is usually provided by the original natural ...

, a canal built beside another stream *

Lateral hiring Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individua ...

, recruiting that targets employees of another organization *

Lateral mark A lateral buoy, lateral post or lateral mark, as defined by the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities, is a sea mark used in maritime pilotage to indicate the edge of a channel. Each mark indicates t ...

, a sea mark used in maritime pilotage to indicate the edge of a channel * Lateral stability of aircraft during flight * Lateral pass, a type of pass in American and Canadian football *

Lateral support (disambiguation) Lateral support may mean: * Lateral support, a type of support (structure) to help prevent sideways movement * Lateral and subjacent support, a legal term See also * Lateral (disambiguation) Lateral is a geometric term of location which may ref ...

, various meanings *

Lateral thinking Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. It involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic. The term was first u ...

, the solution of problems through an indirect and creative approach *

Lateral number An imaginary number is a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit , is usually used in engineering contexts where has other meanings (such as electrical current) which is defined by its property . The square of an imaginary number is . Fo ...

, a proposed alternate term for imaginary number