bilateral
by-LAT-er-ul
/ˌbaɪˈlæt.ər.əl/
Involving two parties, especially two sovereign countries.
Specifically describes trade pacts or diplomatic treaties negotiated directly between two nations.
The story behind the word. Bilateral combines Latin 'bi-' (two) and 'lateralis' (from 'latus', meaning side). Thus it literally means 'two-sided', entering legal and diplomatic usage in the 18th century to describe binding two-party contracts.
Word relationships
- two-sided: Two-sided is informal, whereas bilateral is the official term in diplomatic and legal contexts.
- multilateral: Multilateral involves three or more nations participating together.
Commonly confused with
- unilateral: Unilateral describes actions taken by a single nation without agreement from others.
Word family
- bilaterally (adverb): In a bilateral manner
- bilateralism (noun): The practice of conducting trade between two nations
Collocations
- bilateral trade agreement
- bilateral negotiations
- bilateral treaty
- bilateral relation
Example sentences
- "The two neighboring states signed a bilateral trade deal to eliminate customs duties on agricultural goods." Diplomatic agreement
- "Bilateral talks often progress much faster than complex multi-nation summit negotiations." Strategic negotiations
Memory hook
BI = two, LATERAL = sides. Two sides coming to an agreement. Two-sided agreement.
When not to use
Do not use when three or more countries participate in negotiations (use multilateral).
Fun facts
- While multilateral agreements treat all participants equally, bilateral trade deals allow nations to craft specific concessions tailored to one partner.
Related words
Explore more words
multilateral, unilateral, reciprocal, treaty, tandem, Agreement
Also appears in
- Law → International Law & Treaties
- Political Science & Governance → State Sovereignty & Statecraft
- Environmental Policy & Sustainability Economics → Climate Policy & International Agreements
- Political Science & Governance → Diplomacy & Foreign Policy
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Kinship & Descent Systems
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