The term medial describes which direction?

• A. Toward the midline or median plane
• B. Away from the midline
• C. Toward the anterior
• D. Lateral direction toward the side

Answer: (A)

Medial describes moving toward the midline of the body—an imaginary plane that splits the body into left and right halves. Structures that are closer to this center line are medial, while those farther away toward the sides are lateral. This is different from anterior, which is toward the front, and from posterior, which is toward the back. For example, the nose is medial to the eyes, and the sternum is medial to the ribs. So the direction toward the midline or median plane is the meaning of medial.