Lateralising

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Moving or shifting something toward the side, or causing a thing to shift off its central line ; approaching a problem by considering unconventional alternatives instead of following a straight path
2. Displacing something outward toward one side of a central axis ; developing ideas through indirect, creative exploration rather than step-by-step logic
3. Shifting or directing something sideways from its center ; tackling a challenge by making unexpected connections and looking at it from fresh angles

Etymology: "Lateralising" is the present participle of "lateralise", a verb formed from "lateral" and the suffix "-ise". "Lateral" comes from the Latin "lateralis", meaning "of the side", from "latus", "side". The suffix "-ise" (also spelled "-ize" in American usage) comes from Greek "-izein" by way of Latin and French, and it turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make into" or "to treat in the manner of". So the word's core idea is simply "to make something sideways" or "to place or shift toward one side". In psychology and neuroscience, it refers to the process by which a specific function becomes concentrated in one hemisphere of the brain, which is why the word carries its literal sense of "siding" into a technical field.