a. [ad. mod.L. ūnilaterāl-is, or f. UNI- + LATERAL a. Cf. F. unilatéral (1804), Sp. and Pg. unilateral, It. -ale.]
I. 1. a. Bot. Of a raceme or panicle: Having the flowers on one side of the peduncle. Also, of a cyme: Having a branch or axis on one side only.
1802. R. Hall, Elem. Bot., 156. One-sided, or Unilateral, unilateralis, applied to a raceme with all the flowers inserted on one side.
1853. G. Johnston, Nat. Hist. E. Bord., I. 218. A coarse but productive species, distinguished readily by its unilateral panicle.
b. Bot. and Zool. Arranged or produced on one side of an axis or surface; directed or turned towards one side.
1870. Hooker, Stud. Flora, 275. Disk hypogynous unilateral.
1876. trans. Wagner’s Gen. Pathol., 118. The genital pores are unilateral.
1879. Hardwicke’s Science-Gossip, XV. 203/2. Its flowers are unilateral, as those of the forget-me-not.
2. Of or pertaining to, occurring on or affecting, one side of an organ or part.
Unilateral horse-shoe (see quot. 1843).
1843. Youatt, Horse (ed. 3), xxi. 424. The Unilateral, or one side nailed shoe. Ibid. The unilateral shoe has this great advantage.
1877. M. Foster, Physiol., III. vi. 456. The loss of voluntary movement which follows upon a unilateral section of the medulla.
1880. Bastian, Brain, iii. 57. The unilateral influence of Light.
b. Path. and Med. Affecting or developed on only one side of the body at the same time.
1876. Duhring, Dis. Skin, 225. Zoster is almost invariably unilateral.
1879. P. Smith, Glaucoma, 5. Hence the bilateral character of chronic glaucoma, and the unilateral acute attacks.
1893. A. S. Eccles, Sciatica, 7. In the more common form, viz. unilateral sciatica.
c. Phonetics. Uttered or produced with the glottis open on one side only.
1867. Alex. Melville Bell, Visible Speech, 59. Uni-lateral formations. When the breath issues by only one side aperture in forming any ‘divided’ consonant, the modifier [etc.].
1887. Ellis, in Encycl. Brit., XXII. 387/1. Voiced form or buzz of unilateral Welsh ll.
3. Math. (See latter quot.)
1884. Sylvester, Coll. Math. Papers (1912), IV. 152. A unilateral simple equation. Ibid., 225. The Quadratic Equation of a form which I call unilateral, because the quaternion coefficients in it are supposed all to lie on the same side of the unknown quantity.
II. 4. Performed or undertaken by or on the part of one side; made, enjoyed, shared in, felt, etc., by only one person or party.
1802. W. Windham, Lett., in Windham Papers, II. 200. This communication … is in this way … unilateral, in which I may speak to you, without hearing anything in return.
1836. Turnbull, Stubbes’ Anat. Abuses, Pref. p. x. That the Editor may not be accused of an unilateral predilection for his protegé.
1885. Times, 6 May, 9. It is time to make him understand … that our relations with him cannot continue to be of this unilateral character.
b. Law. Made or entered upon by one party, esp. without reciprocal obligation on the part of another or others; binding or imposed upon one party only.
1802–12. Bentham, Ration. Judic. Evid. (1827), II. 495. In the case of an unilateral deed, the scribe may be the party himself.
1826. G. J. Bell, Comm. Laws Scotl., I. 334. Unilateral obligations and bonds.
a. 1859. Austin, Jurispr. (1879), I. 324. The promise … is, in the language of the jurists, a convention unilateral.
1875. Poste, Gaius, III. 362. A unilateral Disposition is one made by a solitary principal disposer.
c. Of succession: Of or from one side or parent.
1881. Times, 17 Jan., 4. Men may contract for reciprocal rights of cross or unilateral succession.
5. Dealing or concerned with, relating to, only one side of a subject; one-sided.
1830. Edin. Rev., LI. 531. The results of this uni-lateral … mode of proceeding.
1838. Sir W. Hamilton, Logic, xxx. (1866), II. 111. The unilateral and incompetent reasoning which I have here supposed in the case of time.
1873. Morley, Rousseau, II. 145. This is a unilateral view of the social contract, and omits the element of reciprocity.
b. Logic. (See quot.)
1864. Bowen, Logic, vi. 170. In some cases, the Restriction … and the Integration may be bilateral…, as affecting both Subject and Predicate;… or unilateral,… as affecting either the Subject only,… or the Predicate only.
Hence Unilaterality, the quality or character of being unilateral.
1844. Delane, in Dasent Life & Corr. (1908), I. 46. Unilaterality (there’s a long word for you) is an essential ingredient in a printer’s happiness.
1887. Ellis, in Encycl. Brit., XXII. 387/1. This unilaterality [of click] is insisted on by Salesbury.
1899. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., VIII. 622. True zoster of the face characterized by unilaterality.
Hence Unilateralism.
1908. G. M. Gould, Righthandedness & Lefthandedness, ii. 45. The very cleavage of the brain in the two so independent halves of all types was doubtless due to the unilateralism and independence of ocular function.
