Which term describes the side of the body?

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

Answer: (D)

In anatomy, describing location uses directional terms relative to the body's midline. Lateral refers to the side of the body, meaning away from the midline. The midline runs straight down the center, dividing left from right. So lateral is the term that captures what “the side” means. For example, the ears are lateral to the eyes, and the arms lie on the lateral sides of the torso.

Medial means toward the midline, which is the opposite of lateral. Proximal and distal describe distance along a limb from the trunk or point of attachment: proximal toward the body, distal farther from it. Those terms don’t describe the side, which is why lateral best fits “the side of the body.”