Plural of collateral; valuable assets or property pledged as security for loans, or branches that descend from a common ancestor but aren't in direct line of descent.
From Medieval Latin 'collateralis' (side by side) from 'con-' (with) and 'lateralis' (side). Used in finance, law, and genealogy since the Middle Ages.
In genealogy, collaterals are your cousins and uncles—people related to you through a shared ancestor but not in the direct parent-child line—and in finance, they're the stuff the bank can take if you default.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.