collation

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /kəˈleɪʃən/ UK /kəˈleɪʃən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the act of collecting and comparing texts; also a light meal

A careful collation of the manuscripts revealed several scribal errors.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the act of collecting and... comparison compilation assembly gathering snack refreshment

Word family

Related forms collatecollatorcollateral

Etymology

From Latin collatio ('a bringing together, comparison'), from conferre ('to bring together'), from com- ('together') + ferre ('to bring, carry'). The 'light meal' sense arose in monastic usage from readings of John Cassian's Collationes taken with a small repast.

collatio Latin com- Latin ferre Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# collation

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kəˈleɪʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /kəˈleɪʃən/

## Meanings
1. the act of collecting and comparing texts; also a light meal

## Examples
- A careful collation of the manuscripts revealed several scribal errors.

## Synonyms
- comparison
- compilation
- assembly
- gathering
- snack
- refreshment

## Related Forms
- collate
- collator
- collateral

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: collatio
- Root: com-
- Root: ferre

## Etymology
From Latin collatio ('a bringing together, comparison'), from conferre ('to bring together'), from com- ('together') + ferre ('to bring, carry'). The 'light meal' sense arose in monastic usage from readings of John Cassian's Collationes taken with a small repast.

## AI Etymology
Collation comes from Latin collatio ('a bringing together, comparison'), from conferre ('to bring together'), from com- ('together') + ferre ('to bring, carry'). The 'light meal' sense arose in monastic usage from readings of John Cassian's Collationes taken with a small repast. The historical trail runs through collatio in Latin, com- in Latin, and ferre in Latin. Morphologically, collation is transparent: it draws on Latin collatio ('a bringing together, comparison'), from conferre ('to bring together'), from com- ('together') + ferre ('to bring, carry'). Used as a noun, collation now means "the act of collecting and comparing texts; also a light meal", 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 collate, collator, and collateral. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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