collateral

B2 Topic:Money & Finance

US /kəˈlætərəl/ UK /kəˈlætərəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #9739

Meanings

1

noun
property or another valuable asset pledged as security for repayment of a loan

They used the house as collateral for a business loan.
2

adj
additional or secondary to the main matter, often as an unintended consequence

The strike caused collateral disruption to nearby rail services.
3

adj
serving to support, confirm, or corroborate something

The historian found collateral evidence in a merchant's private letters.
4

adj
situated alongside something or related through a side branch rather than a direct line

The archive traces several collateral branches of the family.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · property or another... security pledge

2 adj · additional or secondary to... secondary ancillary incidental

3 adj · serving to support,... corroborative supporting confirmatory

4 adj · situated alongside... parallel indirectnonlineal

Opposites

primary direct linealunsecured

Word family

Derived forms collateralizecollateralizationcollaterally

Related forms lateral mortgage loan securitycollateral damage

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

collateral damage
unintended harm to civilians or civilian property during military action

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Medieval Latin collateralis, from col- (a form of com-, "together with") + lateralis ("of the side"), from latus ("side"). The earliest English adjective meant "side by side" or "indirect." The finance noun arose from collateral security: property pledged in addition to the borrower's main obligation.

Topics

Money & Finance

External links

# collateral

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /kəˈlætərəl/
**IPA (UK):** /kəˈlætərəl/
**Frequency rank:** 9739

## Meanings
1. property or another valuable asset pledged as security for repayment of a loan
2. additional or secondary to the main matter, often as an unintended consequence
3. serving to support, confirm, or corroborate something
4. situated alongside something or related through a side branch rather than a direct line

## Examples
- They used the house as collateral for a business loan.
- The strike caused collateral disruption to nearby rail services.
- The historian found collateral evidence in a merchant's private letters.
- The archive traces several collateral branches of the family.

## Synonyms
- security
- pledge
- secondary
- ancillary
- supporting

## Antonyms
- primary
- direct
- lineal
- unsecured

## Derived Forms
- collateralize
- collateralization
- collaterally

## Related Forms
- lateral
- mortgage
- loan
- security
- collateral damage

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin collateralis, from col- (a form of com-, "together with") + lateralis ("of the side"), from latus ("side"). The earliest English adjective meant "side by side" or "indirect." The finance noun arose from collateral security: property pledged in addition to the borrower's main obligation.

## Topics
- Money & Finance

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