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.

Other Word Forms

• collaterally adverb
• collaterality noun
• collateralness noun

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

Example Sentences

It warned that artists and other creators were becoming "collateral damage in the race by governments and corporations towards AI dominance".

Read more on BBC

But the special master appointed to oversee the sale preferred Elliott’s because it included a settlement with bondholders who asserted collateral rights over Citgo.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The October controls were a major sticking point in trade talks between Beijing and Washington, and Sejourne said that Europe was both a "collateral victim" of their trade tensions, and "directly targeted" itself.

Read more on Barron's

The private-sector loan didn’t get off the ground as banks awaited guidance from the Treasury Department on what collateral and guarantees they could use to shield them from losses, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

With Firefish, bitcoin borrowers lock their bitcoin as collateral in wallets, while investors fund these loans for yield.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• ancillary 

When To Use

What does collateral mean in loans?

Collateral is an asset, such as a home or a car, pledged by a borrower that a lender accepts as security against a loan in case the borrower for any reason cannot pay back the loan.If a borrower fails to pay back a loan, the lender can seize the collateral and sell it in order to recover the loan amount.