The term “lateral” has been employed in literature with a broad spectrum of meanings, often denoting a sidewise or peripheral aspect across diverse contexts. In scientific and anatomical descriptions, it is used to pinpoint precise spatial relationships—for instance, to describe lateral fins resembling fingers in a sea creature [1], the lateral lobes of the prostate [2, 3, 4, 5], or the lateral position of rootlets in plants [6]. In technical and procedural texts, "lateral" clarifies orientations and operational approaches, such as incisions in a lateral lithotomy [7, 8, 9] or the pathway through a lateral portal to a mansion [10]. Moreover, literary narratives and even poetic expressions take advantage of its connotations of side-to-side motion and balance, seen in lateral gestures [11] and rapid lateral passes that evoke subtle shifts in character or tone [12, 13, 14, 15]. Even in topographical descriptions and descriptions of movement in nature, such as the lateral valley in a glacier or water columns transmitting force [16, 17, 18], the term consistently signals a deviation or element that runs along the side. This multifaceted usage—from scientific diagrams to the creative writing of classic literature—underscores the term’s versatility and enduring appeal in conveying spatial, physical, and metaphorical nuances [19, 20, 21, 22].