Mediális

Mediális is an adjective used in anatomical and medical terminology to designate a relation to the midline of the body or a structure that lies closer to the midline. The term derives from Latin medialis, meaning “of the middle,” itself from medius, meaning “middle.” In Hungarian, mediális is commonly contrasted with laterális (lateral) to describe relative positions, with medial indicating proximity to the body's midline and lateral indicating the side away from it.

The term appears across medical specialties to describe surfaces, regions, or structures. Examples include the mediális canthus of the eye (the inner corner near the nose), mediális surfaces or margins of bones, and various mediális structures in the brain or other organs. In imaging and clinical documentation, describing a feature as mediális communicates that it lies toward the midline rather than on the outer, lateral aspects.

Mediális is primarily a descriptive term used in education, textbooks, and diagnostic reporting. It is not a standalone field or concept but a directional descriptor that helps situate anatomy and pathology in relation to the midline. While closely related terms such as mediālis (in Latin) and medial appear in related languages, in Hungarian the form mediális has become standard for this geometric meaning.