collect

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   make a telephone call or mail a package so that the recipient pays

   call collect

2. 2
   adj

   payable by the recipient on delivery

   a collect call

3. 3
   verb

   to get or bring together

   They collected old trading cards.

4. 4
   verb

   to call for and obtain payment of

   we collected over a million dollars in outstanding debts

5. 5
   verb

   to get or gather together in an area

   The leaves collected in the corner.

6. 6
   verb

   to gather something

   I collected my thoughts before speaking.

7. 7
   verb

   To gather together; amass.

   Suzanne collected all the papers she had laid out.

8. 8
   verb

   To get; particularly, get from someone.

   A bank collects a monthly payment on a client's new car loan. A mortgage company collects a monthly payment on a house.

Etymology

From Middle English collecten, a borrowing from Old French collecter, from Medieval Latin collectare (“to collect money”), from Latin collecta (“a collection of money, in Late Latin a meeting, assemblage, in Medieval Latin a tax, also an assembly for prayer, a prayer”), feminine of collectus, past participle of colligere, conligere (“to gather together, collect, consider, conclude, infer”), from com- (“together”) + legere (“to gather”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to gather, collect”).