postero-lateral
|pos-te-ro-lat-er-al|
🇺🇸
/ˌpɑstəroʊˈlætərəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌpɒstərəʊˈlæt(ə)rəl/
toward the back and side
Etymology
'postero-lateral' originates from Latin, specifically the elements 'posterus' and 'latus', where 'posterus' meant 'coming after, behind' and 'latus' meant 'side'.
'postero-lateral' changed from the Medieval/Neo-Latin formation 'posterolateralis' (from 'poster-' + 'lateralis') and was adopted into modern English anatomical usage as 'posterolateral' (with the hyphenated form 'postero-lateral' used in some technical contexts).
Initially it meant 'pertaining to the back and the side', and over time it has retained this specific anatomical directional meaning.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
in anatomy, situated toward or relating to the back (posterior) and the side (lateral); located behind and to the side of a structure.
The surgeon noted a postero-lateral tear in the meniscus.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/09 13:22