collateral

[ kuh-lat-er-uhl ]

noun

1. Finance. property or other assets pledged by a borrower as security for the repayment of a loan:

   He gave the bank stocks and bonds as collateral for the money he borrowed.

2. Anatomy.
   1. a subordinate or accessory part.
   2. a side branch, as of a blood vessel or nerve.
   3. collateral circulation.
3. a relative descended from the same stock, but in a different line.

adjective

1. accompanying; auxiliary:

   He received a scholarship and collateral aid.

2. additional; confirming:

   collateral evidence;

   collateral security.

3. secured by collateral:

   a collateral loan.

4. aside from the main subject, course, etc.; secondary:

   These accomplishments are merely collateral to his primary goal.

5. descended from the same stock, but in a different line; not lineal:

   A cousin is a collateral relative.

6. pertaining to those so descended.
7. situated at the side:

   a collateral wing of a house.

8. situated or running side by side; parallel:

   collateral ridges of mountains.

9. Botany. standing side by side.

collateral

/ kə-; kɒˈlætərəl /

noun

1. 1. security pledged for the repayment of a loan
   2. ( as modifier )

      a collateral loan

2. a person, animal, or plant descended from the same ancestor as another but through a different line

adjective

1. situated or running side by side
2. descended from a common ancestor but through different lines
3. serving to support or corroborate
4. aside from the main issue
5. uniting in tendency

collateral

1. Property or its equivalent that a debtor deposits with a creditor to guarantee repayment of a debt .

Derived Forms

• colˈlaterally, adverb

Other Words From

• col·lat·er·al·i·ty [koh-lat-, uh, -, ral, -i-tee], col·lat·er·al·ness noun
• col·lat·er·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of collateral¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin collaterālis, equivalent to col- a variant of com- + Latin laterālis “on the side of the body”; col- ¹ lateral

Word History and Origins

Origin of collateral¹

C14: from Medieval Latin collaterālis, from Latin com- together + laterālis of the side, from latus side

Related Words

• ancillary