medialis

Medialis is a Latin adjective used in anatomical terminology to denote proximity to the midline of the body or a position closer to the midline. In English, the corresponding term is medial; in Latin texts, medialis agrees in gender with the noun it modifies, with the neuter form mediale.

Medialis appears in the names of various structures, often paired with lateralis (lateral) to indicate relative position. Common examples include musculus rectus medialis (the medial rectus muscle of the eye), condylus medialis (the medial condyle of a bone), and facies medialis (the medial surface of a structure).

In clinical and imaging contexts, 'medialis' signifies a position toward the body's midline, as opposed to 'lateralis' for structures toward the outer side.

Etymology: from Latin medialis, derived from medius meaning middle. The term is widely used in anatomy and related fields and forms part of the standard Latin-based nomenclature for describing anatomical topography.