English

Adjective

collective ‎(not comparable)

1. Formed by gathering or collecting; gathered into a mass, sum, or body; congregated or aggregated; as, the collective body of a nation.
2. Tending to collect; forming a collection.
   • Young

     Local is his throne […] to fix a point, / A central point, collective of his sons.

3. Having plurality of origin or authority; as, in diplomacy, a note signed by the representatives of several governments is called a collective note.
4. (grammar) Expressing a collection or aggregate of individuals, by a singular form; as, a collective name or noun, like assembly, army, jury, etc.
5. (obsolete) Deducing consequences; reasoning; inferring.
   • Sir Thomas Browne

     critical and collective reason

Derived terms

• collectiveness
• collectively
• hypercollective

Related terms

• collect
• collectible
• collection
• collectivity
• collector

Translations

Noun

collective ‎(plural collectives)

1. A farm owned by a collection of people.
2. (chiefly in communist countries) One of more farms managed and owned, through the state, by the community.
3. (grammar) A collective noun or name.
4. (by extension) A group dedicated to a particular cause or interest.
   • 2005, Zoya Kocur, Simon Leung, Theory in contemporary art since 1985 (page 76)

     There are, however, a number of contemporary artists and art collectives that have defined their practice precisely around the facilitation of dialogue among diverse communities.

Translations

Derived terms

• collectivize
• collective noun

See also

• collective fruit (Botany), that which is formed from a mass of flowers, as the mulberry, pineapple, and the like; -- called also multiple fruit.

References

• collective in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• collective in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• collective at OneLook Dictionary Search

French

Adjective

collective

1. feminine singular of collectif

   Après une belle action collective, l'équipe a enfin marqué un but.

Latin

Adjective

collectīve

1. vocative masculine singular of collectīvus