bilateral
[bahy-lat-er-uh l]
- pertaining to, involving, or affecting two or both sides, factions, parties, or the like: a bilateral agreement; bilateral sponsorship.
- located on opposite sides of an axis; two-sided, especially when of equal size, value, etc.
- Biology. pertaining to the right and left sides of a structure, plane, etc.
- Chiefly Law. (of a contract) binding the parties to reciprocal obligations.
- through both parents equally: bilateral affiliation.Compare unilateral(def 7).
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- Informal. a bilateral agreement, especially regarding international trade.
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Origin of bilateral
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for bilaterally
Historical Examples
It is bilaterally symmetrical and the reverse and obverse are alike.
The Archaeology of the Yakima ValleyHarlan Ingersoll Smith
The head and most of the figure are bilaterally symmetrical.
The Archaeology of the Yakima ValleyHarlan Ingersoll Smith
The Centroplana (or bilaterals) are divided into amphipleura (or bilaterally radial) and zygopleura (or bilaterally symmetrical).
His face was described as bilaterally asymmetrical, and various other signs of degeneration were described.
Martin EdenJack London
At first they are bilaterally symmetrical, their radial symmetry being acquired later.
Elementary Zoology, Second EditionVernon L. Kellogg
bilateral
- having or involving two sides
- affecting or undertaken by two parties; mutuala bilateral treaty
- denoting or relating to bilateral symmetry
- having identical sides or parts on each side of an axis; symmetrical
- sociol relating to descent through both maternal and paternal lineageCompare unilateral (def. 5)
- British relating to an education that combines academic and technical courses
- a bilateral meeting
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for bilaterally
bilateral
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
bilateral
(bī-lăt′ər-əl)- Having or formed of two sides; two-sided.
- Having or marked by bilateral symmetry.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.