- In anatomical terminology, the term “lateral” is used to describe the position of a structure relative to the midline of the body.
- The midline is an imaginary vertical line that divides the body into equal right and left halves.
- When a structure is described as lateral to another, it means that it is positioned further away from this midline.

- To contrast, the term “medial” describes a position that is closer to the midline. For example, the arms are lateral to the chest because they are located further from the body’s midline, whereas the nose is medial to the eyes because it lies closer to the midline.

The options “above” or “below” refer to different anatomical terms: “superior” (above) and “inferior” (below).

In summary, “lateral” means further from the midline of the body when describing the position of structures.

Reference: Gray’s Anatomy, 42nd Edition, Section 1: Anatomical Orientation, Page 15