Which term describes a position farther from the midline of the body?

• A. medial
• B. proximal
• C. distal
• D. lateral

Answer: (D)

Lateral describes a position farther from the midline of the body. The midline divides the body into left and right halves, so anything toward the sides away from that line is considered lateral, while structures closer to the midline are medial. For example, the ears are lateral to the eyes because they sit farther from the midline. Proximal and distal refer to closeness to the trunk or an origin, not distance from the midline, and medial means toward the midline, opposite of lateral. So lateral is the correct term.