COLLATERAL

[col.lat.er.al] adj [ME, prob. fr. MF, fr. ML collateralis, fr. L com- + lateralis lateral] (14c) 1 a: accompanying as secondary or subordinate: concomitant "digress into ~ matters" b: indirect c: serving to support or reinforce: ancillary

2: belonging to the same ancestral stock but not in a direct line of descent--compare lineal 3a

3: parallel, coordinate, or corresponding in position, order, time, or significance "~ states like Athens and Sparta"

4. a: of, relating to, or being collateral used as security (as for payment of a debt or performance of a contract) b: secured by collateral -- col.lat.er.al.i.ty n -- col.lat.er.al.ly adv

[2]collateral n (1691) 1: a collateral relative

2: property (as securities) pledged by a borrower to protect the interests of the lender

3: a branch of a bodily part (as a vein)