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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

collateral.

Parallel, in the same vein, side by side.

10 characters4 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/kəˈlætəɹəl/
  1. Parallel, in the same vein, side by side.

    not-comparable
  2. Corresponding; accompanying, concomitant.

    not-comparable
  3. Being aside from the main subject, target, or goal.

    not-comparable
    collateral damage
    Although not a direct cause, the border skirmish was certainly a collateral incitement for the war.
  4. Of an indirect ancestral relationship, as opposed to lineal descendency.

    not-comparable
    a collateral descendant
    Uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews and nieces are collateral relatives.
  5. Relating to a collateral in the sense of an obligation or security.

    not-comparable
  6. Expensive to the extent of being paid through a loan.

    not-comparable
  7. Coming or directed along the side.

    not-comparable
    collateral pressure
  8. Acting in an indirect way.

    not-comparable
  9. Having the phloem and xylem adjacent.

    not-comparable
Where this word comes from

Recorded since c.1378, from Old French, from Medieval Latin collaterālis, from Latin col- (“together with”) (a form of con-) + the stem of latus (“side”). By surface analysis, col- + lateral.

noun/kəˈlætəɹəl/
  1. A security or guarantee (usually an asset) pledged for the repayment of a loan if one cannot procure enough funds to repay.

    countable · uncountable
  2. A collateral (not linear) family member.

    archaic · countable · uncountable
  3. A branch of a bodily part or system of organs.

    countable · uncountable
    Besides the arteries blood streams through numerous veins we call collaterals.
  4. Printed materials or content of electronic media used to enhance sales of products (short form of collateral material).

    countable · uncountable
  5. A thinner blood vessel providing an alternate route to blood flow in case the main vessel becomes occluded.

    countable · uncountable
  6. A contemporary or rival.

    archaic · countable · uncountable
  7. An instance of hitting two or more targets, often enemy players, with a single shot, usually when they are lined up behind each other.

    countable · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Recorded since c.1378, from Old French, from Medieval Latin collaterālis, from Latin col- (“together with”) (a form of con-) + the stem of latus (“side”). By surface analysis, col- + lateral.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.