coll C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /kɑl/ UK /kɒl/ See IPA manual Minimal pairs Sounds like cole /ɑ/ vs /oʊ/ Meanings 1 verb to embrace about the neck; an embrace (chiefly dialectal or archaic) She would coll the child gently before bed. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to embrace about the neck;... embracehugclaspcuddle Word family Related forms collaraccolade Etymology AI details From Old French coler 'to embrace about the neck', from col 'neck', from Latin collum 'neck'. col Old English collum Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Actions & Processes Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # coll **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /kɑl/ **IPA (UK):** /kɒl/ ## Meanings 1. to embrace about the neck; an embrace (chiefly dialectal or archaic) ## Examples - She would coll the child gently before bed. ## Synonyms - embrace - hug - clasp - cuddle ## Related Forms - collar - accolade ## Roots and Affixes - Root: col - Root: collum ## Etymology From Old French coler 'to embrace about the neck', from col 'neck', from Latin collum 'neck'. ## AI Etymology Coll comes from Old French coler 'to embrace about the neck', from col 'neck', from Latin collum 'neck'. The historical trail runs through col in Old French and collum in Latin. Used as a verb and noun, coll now means "embrace about the neck; an embrace (chiefly dialectal or archaic)", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as collar and accolade. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English. ## Topics - Actions & Processes - Register & Style markdown