Meanings
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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.
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2
adj
additional or secondary to the main matter, often as an unintended consequence
The strike caused collateral disruption to nearby rail services.
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3
adj
serving to support, confirm, or corroborate something
The historian found collateral evidence in a merchant's private letters.
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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
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.