Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

unilateral

/ˌjuːnɪˈlætərəl/ adjective

Latin root: ūnilaterālis Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about unilateral at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Involving only one part or side.
unilateral paralysis
Tracing descent from either the paternal or the maternal line only.

Origin

A modern creation (circa 1802), from New Latin ūnilaterālis (“one-sided”), from Latin ūnus (“one”) + laterālis (“sided, lateral”), equivalent to uni- + lateral.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word