collateral

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

collateral

/kəˈlætəɹəl/

Rhymes with -ætəɹəl

Where it 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.

adjective

not comparable Parallel, in the same vein, side by side. Her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) are torn and Vonn has a lateral fracture of the tibial plateau, the upper end of the tibia or shin bone.
not comparable Corresponding; accompanying, concomitant. Yet the attempt may give / Collateral interest to this homely tale.
not comparable Being aside from the main subject, target, or goal. collateral damage
Similar: tangential, subordinate, ancillary
not comparable Of an indirect ancestral relationship, as opposed to lineal descendency. a collateral descendant
not comparable Relating to a collateral in the sense of an obligation or security.
not comparable Expensive to the extent of being paid through a loan.
not comparable Coming or directed along the side. collateral pressure
not comparable Acting in an indirect way. If by direct or by collateral hand They find us touched, we will our kingdom give […] To you in satisfaction.
not comparable, of a vascular bundle Having the phloem and xylem adjacent.

noun collaterals

countable, uncountable A security or guarantee (usually an asset) pledged for the repayment of a loan if one cannot procure enough funds to repay. "The decline in the quality of eligible collateral is a grave problem. The ECB is now buying corporate bonds that are close to junk, and the haircuts can barely deal with a one-notch credit downgrade. The reputational risk of such actions by a central bank would have been unthinkable in the past."
Similar: collateral security, pledge
archaic, countable, uncountable A collateral (not linear) family member.
countable, uncountable A branch of a bodily part or system of organs. Besides the arteries blood streams through numerous veins we call collaterals.
countable, uncountable Printed materials or content of electronic media used to enhance sales of products (short form of collateral material).
countable, uncountable A thinner blood vessel providing an alternate route to blood flow in case the main vessel becomes occluded.
archaic, countable, uncountable A contemporary or rival.
countable, uncountable An instance of hitting two or more targets, often enemy players, with a single shot, usually when they are lined up behind each other.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: parallel, secondary, substantiative, indirect, verificatory, corroboratory, corroborative, supportive, validatory, confirmatory, confirmative, confirming, oblique, substantiating, validating, verifying

Translations

Every language

adj parallel, along the same vein

한국어	평행의 pyeonghaeng-ui
日本語	傍系の bōkei no
中文	旁系的 pángxì de
Português	colateral
Français	collatéral
Deutsch	nebeneinanderliegend, benachbart
Ελληνικά	παράλληλος parállilos
Русский	боково́й bokovój, побо́чный pobóčnyj

adj corresponding, accompanying

Português	colateral
Deutsch	Neben-, Bei-, begleitend, Begleit-
Ελληνικά	συμπληρωματικός sympliromatikós
Русский	сопу́тствующий sopútstvujuščij

adj aside from the main subject, target

Português	colateral
Français	collatéral
Deutsch	hinzukommend, Bei-
Ελληνικά	παράπλευρος paráplevros
Русский	побо́чный pobóčnyj, ко́свенный kósvennyj

adj of an indirect family relationship

日本語	傍系親族の bōkei shinzoku no, 傍系縁者の bōkei enja no
中文	旁系親屬 /旁系亲属 pángxì qīnshǔ
Português	colateral
Français	collatéral
Deutsch	entfernt, weitläufig
Ελληνικά	έμμεσος émmesos
Русский	боково́й bokovój

adj coming alongside

Français	collatéral

adj acting indirectly

Français	indirect

noun collateral relative

Português	colateral
Français	collatéral
Deutsch	entfernter Verwandter, entfernte Verwandte, weitläufige Verwandtschaft
Русский	да́льний ро́дственник dálʹnij ródstvennik, да́льняя ро́дственница dálʹnjaja ródstvennica

noun security or guarantee

Español	prenda, aval, fianza
한국어	담보물 dambomul
日本語	担保 tanpo, 抵当 teitō
中文	擔保 /担保 dānbǎo, 抵押品 dǐyāpǐn, 抵押物 dǐyāwù
Kiswahili	dhamana
Português	garantia
Français	nantissement, gage
Deutsch	Sicherheit, Pfand, Sicherungsgut
Ελληνικά	εχέγγυο echéngyo, εγγύηση engýisi
Русский	поручи́тельство poručítelʹstvo, зало́г zalóg

noun printed materials to enhance sales

日本語	パンフレット panfuretto, カタログ katarogu
Deutsch	Werbematerial, Marketing-Material, Begleitmaterial

noun thinner blood vessel

Español	colateral
Português	colateral
Français	collatérale
Deutsch	Umgehungsgefäß, Kollateralgefäß, Kollaterale, Nebengefäß

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"collateral." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/collateral. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

collateral. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/collateral

Chicago

"collateral." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/collateral.

BibTeX

@misc{collateral_2026,
  title = {collateral},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/collateral},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}