Webster's English Dictionary

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collateral

1. col.lat.er.al \k*-'lat-*-r*l, -'la-tr*l\ \-.lat-*-'ral-*t-e-\ 
   \-'lat-*-r*-le-, -'la-tr*-\ aj [ME, prob. fr. MF, fr. ML collateralis, fr. 
   L com- + lateralisX lateral 1a: accompanying as secondary or subordinate : 
   CONCOMITANT  1b: INDIRECT  1c: serving to support or reinforce : ANCILLARY  
   2: belonging to the same ancestral stock but not in a direct line of desce 
   nt 3: parallel, coordinate, or corresponding in position, order, time, or 
   sig nificance 4a: of, relating to, or being an obligation or security 
   attached to anothe r to secure its performance 4b: secured or guaranteed by 
   additional security  - col.lat.er.al.i.ty n
2. collateral n 1: a collateral relative  2: something used as collateral 
   security  3: a branch of a bodily part (as a vein)