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Added 9 October 2026

collateral

/kəˈlætəɹəl/ noun

Latin root: collaterālis Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about collateral at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A security pledged for the repayment of a loan.

adjective

Descended from a common ancestor but through different lines.
cousins are collateral relatives
Serving to support or corroborate.
collateral evidence
Additional but secondary; auxiliary.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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