collateral
Definitions
An asset pledged as security for a loan, which the lender can seize on default.
（贷款）抵押品；担保物
Accompanying as a secondary or side effect; additional.
附带的；伴随的
Descended from the same ancestor but through a different line (family).
旁系的（亲属）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedcol- (a form of con-, 'together/alongside') + later (side) + -al = 'side by side.' Whatever runs beside the main thing is secondary to it. Hence collateral relatives (family side-branches), collateral damage (harm beside the target), and financial collateral (an asset set beside a loan as backup).
Root later still carries 5 more wordsWhy It Means This
All three meanings trace to one image: things 'side by side.' In finance the metaphor is most useful — the borrower places an asset beside the loan; if the loan collapses, the lender takes what's standing next to it. 'Collateral damage' became a grim military euphemism: destruction that happens off to the side of the intended target. And in genealogy, your collateral line is the side branch — cousins and uncles, not your direct ancestors.
Common Collocations
- 1.collateral damage附带伤害
- 2.loan collateral贷款抵押品
- 3.put up collateral提供抵押
- 4.collateral security抵押担保
Example Sentences
- 1.
She put up her house as collateral for the loan.
- 2.
The airstrike caused heavy collateral damage to nearby homes.
- 3.
Cousins are collateral relatives, not direct ancestors.