English
collection
Collection comes from Old French collection, from Latin collēctiō, from collēctus, participle of colligō ‘to gather together’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to gather’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō‘bring together’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolligō‘collect together’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēctus‘gathered’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēctiō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400collection
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500colleccioun
- Englishearliest quotation 1643collection
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to gather’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō‘bring together’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolligō‘collect together’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēctus‘gathered’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēctiō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400collection
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500colleccioun
- Englishearliest quotation 1643collection
Earliest quotation: 1643, John Milton, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: […]: “We may safely say thus, that wrong collections have…”
Formed from collect + -ion
Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’
…
Latin collecta ‘a collection of money’
Medieval Latin collectō ‘to collect money’
Old French collecter
Middle English collecten
English collect
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather, collect’
technology, logic, catalogue, apology, trilogy, analogy, terminology, logos, sociology, pathology, physiology, astrology, epilogue, prologue, leach, pathologist, eulogy, archaeologist, monologue, logistic, lexical, etymology, epistemology, cosmology, entomology, homologous, lexicon, lignite, lignin, gynecologist, alexia, lexis, apologia, etiology, dialectical, dialectic, bacteriology, syllogism, bacteriologist, 154 more
through Proto-Italic *legō
intelligence, intelligent, intellectual, selection, ineligible, elector, legionnaire, legionella, legionary, 19 more
through Latin legō ‘bring together, gather, collect’
elite, legend, legacy, election, eligible, lesson, select, elegant, lecture, negligence, delegate, elect, colleague, delegation, legion, negligent, negligible, diligent, collegiate, legible, legate, ineligibility, legation, lectern, collegium, lector, 28 more
through Latin colligō ‘collect together’
Today it means
noun A set of items or amount of material procured, gathered or presented together.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- / collection