English
collective
Collective comes from Latin collēctīvus ‘collected or gathered together’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to speak by carefully selecting one's words’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō‘to gather’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolligō‘to collect’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēctus‘gathered, having been gathered’past participle of colligō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēctīvus‘collected or gathered together’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600collectif
- Englishearliest quotation 1642collective
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to speak by carefully selecting one's words’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō‘to gather’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolligō‘to collect’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēctus‘gathered, having been gathered’past participle of colligō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēctīvus‘collected or gathered together’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600collectif
- Englishearliest quotation 1642collective
Earliest quotation: 1642, Thomas Browne, (please specify the page): “critical and collective reason”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning…’
technology, logic, catalogue, apology, trilogy, analogy, sociology, terminology, logos, physiology, pathology, astrology, epilogue, monologue, prologue, leach, pathologist, eulogy, archaeologist, logistic, lexical, etymology, lexicon, epistemology, cosmology, entomology, homologous, lignite, lignin, gynecologist, alexia, etiology, lexis, apologia, dialectical, dialectic, bacteriology, syllogism, bacteriologist, 154 more
through Proto-Italic *legō
intelligence, intelligent, selection, intellectual, ineligible, elector, legionnaire, legionella, legionary, 19 more
through Latin legō ‘to gather’
election, elite, lesson, legend, legacy, eligible, select, elegant, legion, lecture, delegation, negligence, delegate, elect, colleague, negligent, negligible, diligent, collegiate, legible, legate, legation, ineligibility, lectern, collegium, lector, 28 more
through Latin colligō ‘to collect’
Today it means
adj Formed by gathering or collecting; gathered into a mass, sum, or body.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- / collective