Which anatomical term would you use to describe a position that is lateral?

The term "lateral" in anatomical language refers to a position that is farther from the midline of the body. When describing anatomical positions, the midline serves as a reference point that divides the body into right and left halves. Therefore, something described as being in a lateral position is located away from this central line.

For example, a person's ears are lateral to their nose. This understanding is crucial in fields such as medicine and biology, as it helps accurately communicate locations and relationships of different body structures. The other terms provided—closer to the midline, near the top of the body, and away from the surface of the body—don’t capture the meaning of lateral, which specifically pertains to the distance from the central midline.