What does medial mean?

What does medial mean?

• A. Toward or at the midline of the body; on the inner side.
• B. Toward the outer side of the body.
• C. Toward the midportion of a limb.
• D. Toward the head end.

Answer: (A)

Medial means toward the midline of the body, the imaginary line that divides left and right. A structure that is medial is closer to that midline, on the inner side. This is different from lateral, which is toward the outer side. It’s also distinct from terms like proximal or distal, which describe a location along a limb relative to the trunk, and from superior, which means toward the head. So the description “toward or at the midline of the body; on the inner side” is the correct way to express medial.

Medial means toward the midline of the body, the imaginary line that divides left and right. A structure that is medial is closer to that midline, on the inner side. This is different from lateral, which is toward the outer side. It’s also distinct from terms like proximal or distal, which describe a location along a limb relative to the trunk, and from superior, which means toward the head. So the description “toward or at the midline of the body; on the inner side” is the correct way to express medial.