medio-lateral
|me-di-o-lat-er-al|
🇺🇸
/ˌmiːdi.oʊˈlætərəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌmiːdiəʊˈlæt(ə)rəl/
middle-to-side
Etymology
'medio-lateral' is formed from the combining prefix 'medio-' and the adjective 'lateral'. 'Medio-' ultimately originates from Latin 'medius' meaning 'middle', and 'lateral' comes from Latin 'lateralis', from 'latus' meaning 'side'.
The prefix 'medio-' comes from Latin 'medius' and entered scientific/medical English as a combining form (medio-) in Modern/Neo-Latin usage; 'lateral' passed from Latin 'lateralis' into Middle English via Old French/Medieval Latin and became the English adjective 'lateral'. The compound 'medio-lateral' (or 'mediolateral') developed in scientific and anatomical contexts in recent centuries as descriptive terminology.
Initially the elements meant 'middle' and 'side' respectively; combined, they retained the literal sense of 'middle-to-side' and evolved into the technical anatomical/biomechanical meaning 'from the midline toward the side'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to, located on, or extending from the midline (middle) of the body toward the side; of or relating to the axis from the middle toward the lateral side (in anatomy).
The surgeon made a medio-lateral incision to access the joint.
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Adjective 2
describing measurements or orientations in studies (e.g., biomechanics, imaging) that run from the midline toward the side (width-wise direction).
Medio-lateral measurements of the pelvis were recorded for the study.
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Last updated: 2026/01/09 22:41