Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “collect” come from?

Collect comes from Old French collecter, from Medieval Latin collectare, from Latin collecta (a gathering or collection), derived from colligo (to gather together), ultimately from Latin ligo (to bind).

collect (English): To gather together; amass; To get; particularly,...

Definitions

  1. To gather together; amass; To get; particularly,...

Ancestry of “collect”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcollectecollecting, collection
2Latincollēcta—
3Latincollēctus—
4Latincolligeresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
5Latincolligō—
6Latincom-allomorph of con-
7Latincon-Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing...
8Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
9Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
10Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
11Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
12Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
13Middle Englishkyt—
14Germankitt—
15Old High Germankuti—
16Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
17Proto-Germanickweduzresin
18Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
19Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

Words derived from “collect”

  • collected
  • collecting
  • uncollectible
  • collectible
  • uncollected
  • collectable
  • collectedly
  • collectedness
  • uncollectable
  • collecter
  • collecteth
  • precollected
  • noncollectable
  • noncollecting
  • collectomania
  • collectest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →