Collation
/kəˈleɪ.ʃən/noun
The act of comparing and assembling parts into their proper order, or a light meal served between meals.
Did you know?Collation comes from Latin conferre via Medieval Latin collatio, tied to the idea of "bringing together"—the same root behind words like confer and conference.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
conferre
“to bring together, compare, collect”
Late Latin
Latin
collatio
“a bringing together; a comparison; a contribution”
Old French
Old French
collacion
“a comparison, especially of texts; a discourse or reading”
Middle English
English
collacioun
“comparison of manuscripts or texts; a discourse”
Modern English
English
collation
“comparison and orderly assembly; also a light meal”
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