from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Lateral \Lat"er*al\, a. [L. lateralis, fr. latus, lateris, side:
cf. F. lat['e]ral.]
1. Of or pertaining to the sides; as, the lateral walls of a
house; the lateral branches of a tree.
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2. (Anat.) Lying at, or extending toward, the side; away from
the mesial plane; external; -- opposed to {mesial}.
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3. Directed to the side; as, a lateral view of a thing.
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{Lateral cleavage} (Crystallog.), cleavage parallel to the
lateral planes.
{Lateral equation} (Math.), an equation of the first degree.
[Obs.]
{Lateral line} (Anat.), in fishes, a line of sensory organs
along either side of the body, often marked by a distinct
line of color.
{Lateral pressure} or {stress} (Mech.), a pressure or stress
at right angles to the length, as of a beam or bridge; --
distinguished from longitudinal pressure or stress.
{Lateral strength} (Mech.), strength which resists a tendency
to fracture arising from lateral pressure.
{Lateral system} (Bridge Building), the system of horizontal
braces (as between two vertical trusses) by which lateral
stiffness is secured.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Cleavage \Cleav"age\, n.
1. The act of cleaving or splitting.
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2. (Crystallog.) The quality possessed by many crystallized
substances of splitting readily in one or more definite
directions, in which the cohesive attraction is a minimum,
affording more or less smooth surfaces; the direction of
the dividing plane; a fragment obtained by cleaving, as of
a diamond. See {Parting}.
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3. (Geol.) Division into lamin[ae], like slate, with the
lamination not necessarily parallel to the plane of
deposition; -- usually produced by pressure.
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{Basal cleavage}, cleavage parallel to the base of a crystal,
or to the plane of the lateral axes.
{Cell cleavage} (Biol.), multiplication of cells by fission.
See {Segmentation}.
{Cubic cleavage}, cleavage parallel to the faces of a cube.
{Diagonal cleavage}, cleavage parallel to ta diagonal plane.
{Egg clavage}. (Biol.) See {Segmentation}.
{Lateral cleavage}, cleavage parallel to the lateral planes.
{Octahedral cleavage}, {Dodecahedral cleavage}, or
{Rhombohedral cleavage}, cleavage parallel to the faces of an
octahedron, dodecahedron, or rhombohedron.
{Prismatic cleavage}, cleavage parallel to a vertical prism.
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