According to Oxford Languages, "bilateral" means involving two parties or sides, often used in relation to negotiations or agreements between two countries, or referring to both sides of the body. [1, 2, 3]
Here's a more detailed breakdown: [1, 2, 3]
• General Meaning: "Bilateral" describes something that concerns or involves two parties, sides, or groups.
• Examples:
• International Relations: A "bilateral treaty" or "bilateral trade agreement" refers to an agreement between two countries.
• Body/Symmetry: "Bilateral symmetry" describes a body or object that has two similar halves, like the human body.
• Etymology: The prefix "bi-" means "two" in Latin, so "bilateral" essentially means "two-sided".
According to Oxford Languages, "unilateral" means done or undertaken by only one person, group, or side, without the agreement or participation of others. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Here's a more detailed breakdown of the definition: [1, 3]
• General Meaning: "Unilateral" refers to something that involves only one party or side, as opposed to being mutual or bilateral. [1, 3]
• Examples: [1, 3]
• A unilateral decision: A decision made by one party without consulting or involving others. [1, 3]
• Unilateral action: An action taken by one party without the agreement or consent of others.
[1, 3, 4]
• Unilateral disarmament: A country disarming itself without waiting for other countries to do the same. [1, 3, 5]
• Legal Context: In law, a unilateral contract is one where only one party makes a promise, and the other party's obligation is to perform a specific action. [3, 6, 7]
• Other Contexts: The term "unilateral" can also be used in botany (referring to plants with parts arranged on one side of an axis), phonetics (referring to sounds produced with air passing on only one side of the tongue), and other fields. [3]