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Webster 1913 Edition

Collect

Col-lect′

(kŏl-lĕkt′)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Collected
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Collecting
.]
[L.
collecrus
,
p.
p.
of
collerige
to bind together;
col-
+
legere
to gather: cf. OF.
collecter
. See
Legend
, and cf.
Coil
,
Verb.
T.
,
Cull
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
To gather into one body or place; to assemble or bring together; to obtain by gathering.
A band of men
Collected
choicely from each country.
Shakespeare
’Tis memory alone that enriches the mind, by preserving what our labor and industry daily
collect
.
Watts.
2.
To demand and obtain payment of, as an account, or other indebtedness;
as, to
collect
taxes
.
3.
To infer from observed facts; to conclude from premises.
[Archaic.]
Shak.
Which sequence, I conceive, is very ill
collected
.
Locke.
Syn. – To gather; assemble; congregate; muster; accumulate; garner; aggregate; amass; infer; deduce.

Col-lect′

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To assemble together;
as, the people
collected
in a crowd
; to accumulate;
as, snow
collects
in banks
.
2.
To infer; to conclude.
[Archaic]
Whence some
collect
that the former word imports a plurality of persons.
South.

Col′lect

,
Noun.
[LL.
collecta
, fr. L.
collecta
a collection in money; an assemblage, fr.
collerige
: cf. F.
collecte
. See
Collect
,
Verb.
T.
]
A short, comprehensive prayer, adapted to a particular day, occasion, or condition, and forming part of a liturgy.
The noble poem on the massacres of Piedmont is strictly a
collect
in verse.
Macaulay.

Webster 1828 Edition

Collect

COLLECT

, v.t.
1.
To gather, as separate persons or things, into one body or place; to assemble or bring together; as, to collect men into an army; to collect ideas; to collect particulars into one sum.
2.
To gain by observation or information.
From all that can be collected, the public peace will not soon be interrupted.
3.
To gather from premises; to infer as a consequence.
Which consequence, I conceive, is very ill collected.
4.
To gather money or revenue from debtors; to demand and receive; as, to collect taxes; to collect the customs; to collect accounts, or debts.
5.
To gather, as crops; to reap, mow or pick, and secure in proper repositories; as, to collect hay, corn or fruits.
6.
To draw together; to bring into united action; as, to collect all the strength, or all the powers of the mind.
7.
To obtain from contribution.
To collect ones self, is to recover from surprise, or a disconcerted state; to gain command over the thoughts, when dispersed; over the passions, when tumultuous; or the mind, when dismayed.

COLLECT

,
Verb.
I.
To run together; to accumulate; as, pus collects in an abscess; sand or snow collects in banks.

COLLECT

,
Noun.
1.
A short comprehensive prayer; a prayer adapted to a particular day or occasion.
2.
A collection or gathering of money.

Definition 2025

collect

collect

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kəˈlɛkt/
  • Rhymes: -ɛkt

Verb

collect ‎(third-person singular simple present collects, present participle collecting, simple past and past participle collected)

  1. (transitive) To gather together; amass.
    • 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
      Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.
    Suzanne collected all the papers she had laid out.‎
  2. (transitive) To get; particularly, get from someone.
    A bank collects a monthly payment on a client's new car loan.   A mortgage company collects a monthly payment on a house.‎
  3. (transitive) To accumulate a number of similar or related (objects), particularly for a hobby or recreation.
    John Henry collects stamps.‎
  4. (transitive, now rare) To form a conclusion; to deduce, infer. (Compare gather, get.)
    • 1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety, Harper Perennial 2007, page 292-3:
      the riot is so great that it is very difficult to collect what is being said.
    • John Locke
      […] which sequence, I conceive, is very ill collected.
  5. (intransitive, often with on or against) To collect payments.
    He had a lot of trouble collecting on that bet he made.‎
  6. (intransitive) To come together in a group or mass.
    The rain collected in puddles.‎
  7. (intransitive) To collect objects as a hobby.
    I don't think he collects as much as hoards.‎
  8. (transitive) To infer; to conclude.
    • South
      Whence some collect that the former word imports a plurality of persons.
Translations

Adjective

collect ‎(not comparable)

  1. To be paid for by the recipient, as a telephone call or a shipment.
    It was to be a collect delivery, but no-one was available to pay.
Translations

Adverb

collect ‎(not comparable)

  1. With payment due from the recipient.
    I had to call collect.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Latin ōrātiō ad collectam ‎(“prayer towards the congregation”).

Pronunciation

Noun

collect ‎(plural collects) (sometimes capitalized)

  1. (Christianity) The prayer said before the reading of the epistle lesson, especially one found in a prayerbook, as with the Book of Common Prayer.
    He used the day's collect as the basis of his sermon.
Translations

Etymology

From Middle English collecten, from Old French collecter, from Medieval Latin collectare ‎(“to collect money”), from Latin collecta ‎(“a collection of money, in Late Latin a meeting, assemblage, in Medieval Latin a tax, also an assembly for prayer, a prayer”), feminine of collectus, past participle of colligere, conligere ‎(“to gather together, collect, consider, conclude, infer”), from com- ‎(“together”) + legere ‎(“to gather”).

Similar Results