lateral rectus vs lateral rectus muscle

lateral rectus and lateral rectus muscle both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
lateral rectus	Yes	No	No	No
lateral rectus muscle	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, lateral rectus and lateral rectus muscle are synonyms defined as:

lateral rectus and lateral rectus muscle: the ocular muscle whose contraction turns the eyeball outward

Other synonyms of lateral rectus include abducens muscle, rectus lateralis.

lateral rectus (noun)	lateral rectus muscle (noun)
the ocular muscle whose contraction turns the eyeball outward	the ocular muscle whose contraction turns the eyeball outward