Standard Lemma guide

collateral

adj · noun · 21 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kəˈlætəɹəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ætəɹəl
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 L AE1 T ER0 AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Parallel, in the same vein, side by side.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Corresponding; accompanying, concomitant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Being aside from the main subject, target, or goal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • collateral damage
  • Although not a direct cause, the border skirmish was certainly a collateral incitement for the war.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tangential, subordinate, ancillary

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Of an indirect ancestral relationship, as opposed to lineal descendency.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Qualifier: genealogy

Examples

  • a collateral descendant
  • Uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews and nieces are collateral relatives.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Relating to a collateral in the sense of an obligation or security.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Expensive to the extent of being paid through a loan.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Coming or directed along the side.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • collateral pressure

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adj

Meaning 8

Acting in an indirect way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

adj

Meaning 9

Having the phloem and xylem adjacent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: collateral security, pledge

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

A collateral (not linear) family member.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

Qualifier: genealogy

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

A branch of a bodily part or system of organs.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

Examples

  • Besides the arteries blood streams through numerous veins we call collaterals.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

Printed materials or content of electronic media used to enhance sales of products (short form of collateral material).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: business, marketing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

A contemporary or rival.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

noun

Meaning 16

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: video-games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

17

adjective

Meaning 17

descended from a common ancestor but through different lines

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • cousins are collateral relatives
  • an indirect descendant of the Stuarts

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: indirect

Antonyms: lineal

18

adjective satellite

Meaning 18

situated or running side by side

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • collateral ridges of mountains

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

19

adjective satellite

Meaning 19

accompany, concomitant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • collateral target damage from a bombing run

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

20

adjective satellite

Meaning 20

serving to support or corroborate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • collateral evidence

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: confirmative, confirming, confirmatory, corroborative, corroboratory, substantiating, substantiative, validating, validatory, verificatory, verifying

Antonyms: none provided

21

noun

Meaning 21

a security pledged for the repayment of a loan

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: security interest

Narrower terms: guarantee, guaranty

History

Etymology

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.

Across languages

Translations

139 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: у́спореден (úsporeden) — parallel, along the same vein
  • Chinese Mandarin: 旁系的 (pángxì de) — parallel, along the same vein
  • Dutch: collateraal — parallel, along the same vein
  • Dutch: neven- — parallel, along the same vein
  • Dutch: zijdelings — parallel, along the same vein
  • Finnish: rinnakkainen — parallel, along the same vein
  • Finnish: rinnakkais- — parallel, along the same vein
  • French: collatéral — parallel, along the same vein
  • German: nebeneinanderliegend — parallel, along the same vein
  • German: benachbart — parallel, along the same vein
  • Greek: παράλληλος (parállilos) — parallel, along the same vein
  • Hungarian: párhuzamos — parallel, along the same vein
  • Hungarian: szomszédos — parallel, along the same vein
  • Japanese: 傍系の (bōkei no) — parallel, along the same vein
  • Korean: 평행의 (pyeonghaeng-ui) — parallel, along the same vein
  • Manx: co-heuagh — parallel, along the same vein
  • Portuguese: colateral — parallel, along the same vein
  • Russian: боково́й (bokovój) — parallel, along the same vein
  • Russian: побо́чный (pobóčnyj) — parallel, along the same vein
  • Bulgarian: съпъ́тствуващ (sǎpǎ́tstvuvašt) — corresponding, accompanying
  • Dutch: collateraal — corresponding, accompanying
  • Dutch: neven- — corresponding, accompanying
  • Dutch: begeleidend — corresponding, accompanying
  • German: Neben- — corresponding, accompanying
  • German: Bei- — corresponding, accompanying
  • German: begleitend — corresponding, accompanying
  • German: Begleit- — corresponding, accompanying
  • Greek: συμπληρωματικός (sympliromatikós) — corresponding, accompanying
  • Hungarian: kísérő — corresponding, accompanying
  • Portuguese: colateral — corresponding, accompanying
  • Russian: сопу́тствующий (sopútstvujuščij) — corresponding, accompanying
  • Bulgarian: ко́свен (kósven) — aside from the main subject, target
  • Dutch: bij- — aside from the main subject, target
  • Dutch: bijkomstig — aside from the main subject, target
  • Dutch: hulp- — aside from the main subject, target
  • Dutch: neven- — aside from the main subject, target
  • Dutch: subsidiair — aside from the main subject, target
  • Dutch: zijdelings — aside from the main subject, target
  • French: collatéral — aside from the main subject, target
  • German: hinzukommend — aside from the main subject, target
  • German: Bei- — aside from the main subject, target
  • Greek: παράπλευρος (paráplevros) — aside from the main subject, target
  • Hungarian: járulékos — aside from the main subject, target
  • Hungarian: kiegészítő — aside from the main subject, target
  • Hungarian: al- — aside from the main subject, target
  • Hungarian: mellék- — aside from the main subject, target
  • Hungarian: mellékes — aside from the main subject, target
  • Manx: co-cheimnagh — aside from the main subject, target
  • Portuguese: colateral — aside from the main subject, target
  • Russian: побо́чный (pobóčnyj) — aside from the main subject, target
  • Russian: ко́свенный (kósvennyj) — aside from the main subject, target
  • Swedish: indirekt — aside from the main subject, target
  • Swedish: oavsiktlig — aside from the main subject, target
  • Chinese Mandarin: 旁系親屬 /旁系亲属 (pángxì qīnshǔ) — of an indirect family relationship
  • Dutch: zijdelings (verwant) — of an indirect family relationship
  • Finnish: sivusukua oleva — of an indirect family relationship
  • French: collatéral — of an indirect family relationship
  • German: entfernt — of an indirect family relationship
  • German: weitläufig — of an indirect family relationship
  • Greek: έμμεσος (émmesos) — of an indirect family relationship
  • Hungarian: oldalági — of an indirect family relationship
  • Japanese: 傍系親族の (bōkei shinzoku no) — of an indirect family relationship
  • Japanese: 傍系縁者の (bōkei enja no) — of an indirect family relationship
  • Portuguese: colateral — of an indirect family relationship
  • Russian: боково́й (bokovój) — of an indirect family relationship
  • Dutch: zekerheid — related to an obligation or security
  • French: collatéral — coming alongside
  • French: indirect — acting indirectly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擔保 /担保 (dānbǎo) — security or guarantee
  • Chinese Mandarin: 抵押品 (dǐyāpǐn) — security or guarantee
  • Chinese Mandarin: 抵押物 (dǐyāwù) — security or guarantee
  • Czech: kolaterál — security or guarantee
  • Czech: zajištění — security or guarantee
  • Czech: zástava — security or guarantee
  • Dutch: zekerheid — security or guarantee
  • Dutch: onderpand — security or guarantee
  • Dutch: pand — security or guarantee
  • Esperanto: garantiaĵo — security or guarantee
  • Finnish: pantti — security or guarantee
  • Finnish: vakuus — security or guarantee
  • French: nantissement — security or guarantee
  • French: gage — security or guarantee
  • German: Sicherheit — security or guarantee
  • German: Pfand — security or guarantee
  • German: Sicherungsgut — security or guarantee
  • Greek: εχέγγυο (echéngyo) — security or guarantee
  • Greek: εγγύηση (engýisi) — security or guarantee
  • Ancient Greek: ἐγγύη (engúē) — security or guarantee
  • Hungarian: fedezet — security or guarantee
  • Hungarian: biztosíték — security or guarantee
  • Indonesian: barang jaminan — security or guarantee
  • Japanese: 担保 (tanpo) — security or guarantee
  • Japanese: 抵当 (teitō) — security or guarantee
  • Korean: 담보물 (dambomul) — security or guarantee
  • Macedonian: гаранција (garancija) — security or guarantee
  • Manx: raane — security or guarantee
  • Māori: punga — security or guarantee
  • Māori: moni punga — security or guarantee
  • Mongolian: барьцаа (barʹcaa) — security or guarantee
  • Mongolian: ᠪᠠᠷᠢᠴᠠᠭ᠎ᠠ (baričaɣ-a) — security or guarantee
  • Portuguese: garantia — security or guarantee
  • Russian: поручи́тельство (poručítelʹstvo) — security or guarantee
  • Russian: зало́г (zalóg) — security or guarantee
  • Slovak: záloha — security or guarantee
  • Slovak: zástava — security or guarantee
  • Spanish: prenda — security or guarantee
  • Spanish: aval — security or guarantee
  • Spanish: fianza — security or guarantee
  • Swahili: dhamana — security or guarantee
  • Swedish: pant — security or guarantee
  • Swedish: säkerhet — security or guarantee
  • Turkish: teminat — security or guarantee
  • Dutch: nevenverwant — collateral relative
  • Dutch: zijdelings verwant — collateral relative
  • French: collatéral — collateral relative
  • German: entfernter Verwandter — collateral relative
  • German: entfernte Verwandte — collateral relative
  • German: weitläufige Verwandtschaft — collateral relative
  • Hungarian: oldalági rokon — collateral relative
  • Portuguese: colateral — collateral relative
  • Russian: да́льний ро́дственник (dálʹnij ródstvennik) — collateral relative
  • Russian: да́льняя ро́дственница (dálʹnjaja ródstvennica) — collateral relative
  • Turkish: soydaş — collateral relative
  • Dutch: vertakking — branch of a bodily part
  • Finnish: oheismateriaali — printed materials to enhance sales
  • German: Werbematerial — printed materials to enhance sales
  • German: Marketing-Material — printed materials to enhance sales
  • German: Begleitmaterial — printed materials to enhance sales
  • Japanese: パンフレット (panfuretto) — printed materials to enhance sales
  • Japanese: カタログ (katarogu) — printed materials to enhance sales
  • Dutch: collateraal — thinner blood vessel
  • French: collatérale — thinner blood vessel
  • German: Umgehungsgefäß — thinner blood vessel
  • German: Kollateralgefäß — thinner blood vessel
  • German: Kollaterale — thinner blood vessel
  • German: Nebengefäß — thinner blood vessel
  • Hungarian: kollaterális — thinner blood vessel
  • Portuguese: colateral — thinner blood vessel
  • Spanish: colateral — thinner blood vessel
Real reading context

collateral in complete knowledge articles