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Glite Dictionary
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family relationship ➡️ Side position 🏦 Collateral status
collaterality

collaterality

9.8
A family relation through a shared ancestor but not in a direct line, like siblings or cousins
  • noun
  • /kəˌlætəˈrælɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : colateralidad
  • The concept of collaterality helps us understand the connections between cousins and siblings in family trees.

Examples

  • In genealogy, collaterality refers to the relationship between individuals who share a common ancestor but are not direct descendants.

  • In the former cases, the partial difference between the terms for lineal and collateral kin is clearly not caused by the influence of the criterion of collaterality but by the recognition of the criterion of relative age, whereas in the latter cases, the difference can only be attributed to the influence of the criterion of collaterality.

    Academic text (1990)

  • In the former cases, the partial difference between the terms for lineal and collateral kin is clearly not caused by the influence of the criterion of collaterality but by the recognition of the criterion of relative age, whereas in the latter cases, the difference can only be attributed to the influence of the criterion of collaterality.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Studies of collaterality reveal how we are related to distant relatives through common ancestors.

Synonyms

relationship
vscollaterality
239 1.6

A family connection by blood, marriage, or adoption

is specifically about relatives sharing an ancestor but not in a direct line
consanguinity
vscollaterality
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A blood relation between people from the same family

is limited to relatives who share an ancestor but are not direct descendants
cognation
vscollaterality
  • Specialized
9.9

A blood relationship that shows family by birth

is about relatives linked by a common ancestor but not by direct line
blood kinship
vscollaterality
6.3

A family link between people who are related by birth, not by marriage or adoption

is narrower limited to relatives who share an ancestor but are not direct descendants

How Closely Related

sibling
253 1.0
collaterality
  • Specialized
9.8
cousin
∞ 1.0
ancestor
419 2.4

Surface Forms

collaterality singular
collateralities plural

Morphology

collaterality = collateral (semi-transparent) = collateral + ity

The kinship sense is derived from 'collateral' but the specialized meaning 'not in direct line (e.g., cousins)' is a specialized extension not transparently predictable by all learners.

Etymology

Collaterality comes from the parts col- 'with' and lateral 'side', so it originally means 'at the side'. Think of a family tree with branches to the side — siblings and cousins are side relatives rather than direct ancestors. That's why collaterality means being related through a common ancestor but not in a direct line.