collateral

 
Pronunciation: /kəˈlat(ə)r(ə)l/

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] something pledged as security for repayment of a loan, to be forfeited in the event of a default: she put her house up as collateral for the bank loan
  • 2a person having the same ancestor as another but through a different line.

adjective

  • 1additional but subordinate; secondary: the collateral meanings of a word
  • euphemistic denoting inadvertent casualties and destruction in civilian areas in the course of military operations: munitions must be able to destroy the target without causing collateral damage collateral casualties
  • 2descended from the same stock but by a different line: a collateral descendant of Robert Burns
  • 3situated side by side; parallel: collateral veins

Derivatives

collaterality

Pronunciation: /-ˈralɪti/
noun

collaterally

adverb

Origin:

late Middle English (as an adjective): from medieval Latin collateralis, from col- 'together with' + lateralis (from latus, later- 'side'). collateral (sense 1 of the noun) (originally US) is from the phrase collateral security, denoting something pledged in addition to the main obligation of a contract