# collect

Pronunciation: say "kuh-LEKT" /kəˈlɛkt/

## Verb

1. To gather many things together into one place or group; amass.
   - Simple: To bring many things together into one place.
   - _The campaign managed to collect thousands of signatures within a week._
   - _After the storm, neighbors collected the fallen branches into one big pile by the road._
2. To obtain or receive something that is given to you or that you have earned, such as a prize, a reward or points in a game, especially from another person.
   - Simple: To get or receive something that is given to you or that you have earned.
   - _You can collect your refund from the customer service desk._
   - _She hopes to collect first prize for her tomato chutney at this year's county fair._
3. To gather and keep similar or related objects over time, especially as a hobby.
   - Simple: To get and keep many things of one kind, often because you enjoy it.
   - _Many enthusiasts collect first-edition novels and store them in protective cases._
   - _She has collected antique teapots since she was a teenager._
4. To go and pick up or fetch a person or thing from somewhere.
   - Simple: To go and get someone or something from a place.
   - _Could you collect the parcel from the front desk before it closes?_
   - _The driver collected the passengers from the hotel at dawn._
5. To gather in payments that are owed, such as debts or claims.
   - Simple: To get money that people owe, such as a debt or bill.
   - _Gamblers who backed the underdog lined up to collect on their winning tickets._
   - _The firm collects on delinquent loans through a specialized department._
6. To gather in a group or build up into a mass.
   - Simple: To come together in a group or build up in one place.
   - _Spectators began to collect along the parade route well before noon._
   - _Rainwater collected in the gutter after the heavy storm._
9. To recover one's composure or put one's mind in order, taking oneself, one's thoughts or one's wits as the object.
   - Simple: To make yourself calm again or get your thoughts clear, used with yourself, your thoughts or your wits.
   - _He paused outside the courtroom to collect himself before facing the reporters._
   - _Give me a moment to collect my wits; that news caught me completely off guard._
11. To strike another vehicle or an object in a collision.
   - Simple: To crash into another vehicle or object.
   - _On a wet track, one spinning car can collect half the field in seconds._
   - _The skidding van collected two parked cars before it finally stopped._

## Adjective

7. Paid for by the person receiving it rather than the sender, as with certain telephone calls or shipments. *(US, Canada)*
   - Simple: Paid for by the person who receives it, not the sender.
   - _Back then a collect call let you reach home even without coins._
   - _The warehouse refused the collect delivery because no one had authorized the charge._

## Adverb

8. In a manner where payment is due from the person receiving the call or goods. *(US, Canada)*
   - Simple: In a way where the person receiving it pays the cost.
   - _Stranded without cash, she phoned the office collect from a roadside booth._
   - _The supplier sent the samples collect, expecting the buyer to cover delivery._

## Noun

Pronunciation: say "KOL-ikt" US /ˈkɑlɪkt/, UK /ˈkɒlɪkt/

10. A short, set prayer used in Christian worship, especially the prayer said before the reading of the epistle, as in the Book of Common Prayer.
   - Simple: A short prayer used in a church service, often just before a Bible reading.
   - _The congregation joined in the collect appointed for that Sunday._
   - _Many of the prayer book's collects were translated from far older Latin prayers._

## Verb

12. To conclude or infer something from the available information or by reasoning. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To work something out from what you have seen, read, or heard.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–9, 11–12** — This word came into Middle English as "collecten," borrowed from Old French "collecter," from Medieval Latin "collectare" (to collect money). It traces back to Latin "colligere" (to gather together), from "com-" (together) plus "legere" (to gather), and ultimately to the Proto-Indo-European root *leǵ- (to gather, collect).
**Meaning 10** — It goes back to Ecclesiastical Latin "collēcta" (assembly; collect) by way of Middle English "collecte." At first the Latin word named the gathering that opened a liturgical celebration.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/collect (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).