flank vs lateral

flank

noun
  • The outermost strip of a road. 

  • The flesh between the last rib and the hip; the side. 

  • The sides of a bastion perpendicular to the wall from which the bastion projects. 

  • The wing, one side of the pitch. 

  • That part of the acting surface of a gear wheel tooth that lies within the pitch line. 

  • A cut of meat from the flank of an animal. 

  • The side of something, in general senses. 

  • The extreme left or right edge of a military formation, army etc. 

adj
  • Maximum. Historically faster than full speed (the most a vessel can sustain without excessive engine wear or risk of damage), now frequently used interchangeably. Typically used in an emergency or during an attack. 

verb
  • To be placed to the side(s) of something (usually in terms of two objects, one on each side). 

  • To defend the flank(s) of. 

  • To attack the flank(s) of. 

  • To place to the side(s) of. 

lateral

noun
  • A lateral pass. 

  • An object, such as a passage or a protrusion, that is situated on the side of something else. 

  • A sound produced through lateral pronunciation (such as /l/ in lateral). 

  • An employee hired for a position at the same organizational level or salary as their previous position. 

adj
  • Non-linear or unconventional, as in, lateral thinking. 

  • To the side; of or pertaining to the side. 

  • Affecting the side or sides of the body, or confined to one side of the body. 

  • Situated on one side or other of the body or of an organ, especially in the region furthest from the median plane. 

  • Acting or placed at right angles to a line of motion or strain. 

  • (of a consonant, especially the English clear l) Pertaining to sounds generated by partially blocking the egress of the airstream with the tip of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge, leaving space on one or both sides of the occlusion for air passage. 

verb
  • To execute a lateral pass. 

  • To move (oneself or something) in a lateral direction. 

How often have the words flank and lateral occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )