sure·ty /'shu̇r-ə-tē/ n pl -ties [Anglo-French seurté, literally, guarantee, security, from Old French, from Latin securitat- securitas, from securus secure]
1: a formal engagement (as a pledge) given for the fulfillment of an undertaking
2: one (as an accommodation party) who promises to answer for the debt or default of another
◇ At common law a surety is distinguished from a guarantor by being immediately liable as opposed to becoming liable only upon default of the principal. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, however, a surety includes a guarantor, and the two terms are generally interchangeable.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.