Collection
/kəˈlekʃən/noun
A group of things gathered together, or the act of gathering them.
Did you know?The Latin root legere meant both “to gather” and “to read,” linking physical collecting with the older idea of selecting signs or words for meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leg-
“To collect, gather, or pick; the ancestral root behind several words involving choosing and reading.”
Classical Latin
Latin
legere
“To gather, choose, collect, or read.”
Classical Latin
Latin
colligere
“To gather together; formed from com- (“together”) and legere (“gather” or “choose”).”
Late Latin
Latin
collectio
“A gathering, collection, or assembling.”
14th Century
Middle English
collection
“The act of collecting or gathering; also a group gathered together.”
Modern English
English
collection
“A gathered group of objects, texts, data, or other items.”