“+ adjective
Etymology: uni- + lateral
1.
a. : of, relating to, or involving one side : done, made, undertaken, or shared by one of two or more persons or parties : dealing with or affecting one side of a subject : one-sided
urged a unilateral halting of nuclear bomb tests — T.A.Bailey
b. : constituting or relating to a contract or engagement by which an express obligation to do or forbear is imposed on but one party (as in a deed poll)
in a unilateral simple contract, a promise is exchanged for an act or forbearance
2.
a. : produced or arranged on or directed toward one side : having dependent parts so oriented
a unilateral raceme
unilateral flowers
b. : affecting or occurring in but one side of the body or a body part or organ
c. : pronounced with the oral passage open on one side of the tongue only — compare lateral 4
3. : tracing descent through either the maternal or paternal line only
a unilateral clan
— contrasted with bilateral
4. : having only one side ; specifically : being a surface on which a continuous path may be drawn from any point to any other point even to the exactly opposite point through the surface without piercing the surface or crossing its border — compare möbius band
5. of a machined part : having for a nominal diameter the smallest or largest size that the specified tolerances permit
• uni·laterally “+ adverb