collateral
3
8.4
- adjective
- /kəˈlætərəl/
:
colateral
- But there were collateral branches to the family that went forth to brave dangers and who were scalped.
- collateral relatives
- collateral kin
- lineal and collateral
Examples
-
All participants were asked to identify a sibling close in age to participate as a collateral informant.
Academic text (2007) -
Some species even avoid collateral or non-descendant kin.
Academic text (1997) -
Natural selection does not distinguish alleles transmitted through descendants from those transmitted through collateral relatives, such as siblings.
Academic text (1997) -
Since neither brother left any heirs, the title passes to the collateral branch of the great Chisholm family, and the heir of that line is you.
Fiction book (1994) -
My aunt's family shares a collateral connection to the royal lineage through distant cousins.
-
As a collateral relative, he was invited to the family reunion but not included in the direct heir list.
-
They discovered that she was a collateral descendant in the family tree, linking her to the historic figure.
Synonyms
1
9.9
People who share the same ancestor and are related by blood
1
4.2
Related to someone through a different family branch, not in the direct line
Related by blood, like brothers or parents
Antonyms
Compounds
40
5.6
Harm to ordinary people or buildings not meant as the main target during a military attack
- Specialized
A dishonest act that stops a person from knowing their rights or having a fair chance at trial
How Direct
Surface Forms
Morphology
collateral = lateral (semi-transparent) = col + later + al
The kinship meaning comes from the idea of a side branch rather than a direct line, so the relation to 'lateral' is meaningful but specialized.
Etymology
Collateral comes from Latin com- 'together' plus latus 'side', the same root as lateral meaning 'side'. So a collateral relative is someone from the 'side' of the family, not a direct ancestor.