collocation

B2 Topic:Language & Linguistics

US /ˌkɑl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/ UK /ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #1184242

Meanings

1

noun
A pair or group of words that are often used together and sound natural to native speakers.

"Heavy rain" is a common collocation in English.
2

noun
The act of placing things, especially words, close together.

The collocation of these two ideas in one sentence was confusing.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · the act of placing things,... juxtaposition

Word family

Forms collocations

Derived forms collocabilitycollocatecollocationalmiscollocation

Related forms actantco-locatingco-locationcollation collocatecollocativecollocatorcompound idiomlexicalizationphrase

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin collocātiō (“a putting together”). By surface analysis, col- (“together”) + location. The technical sense in linguistics was established in 1951, although it may actually be earlier. First attested in 1605.

collocātiō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Language & Linguistics Abstract Ideas

External links

# collocation

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌkɑl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 1184242

## Meanings
1. A pair or group of words that are often used together and sound natural to native speakers.
2. The act of placing things, especially words, close together.

## Examples
- "Heavy rain" is a common collocation in English.
- The collocation of these two ideas in one sentence was confusing.

## Derived Forms
- collocability
- collocate
- collocational
- miscollocation

## Related Forms
- actant
- co-locating
- co-location
- collation
- collocate
- collocative
- collocator
- compound
- idiom
- lexicalization
- phrase

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: collocātiō

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin collocātiō (“a putting together”). By surface analysis, col- (“together”) + location. The technical sense in linguistics was established in 1951, although it may actually be earlier. First attested in 1605.

## AI Etymology
collocation is a noun. It is a learned borrowing from Latin collocātiō (“a putting together”). By surface analysis, col- (“together”) + location. The technical sense in linguistics was established in 1951, although it may actually be earlier. First attested in 1605. Historical forms in the chain include collocātiō (Latin). Current senses include a pair or group of words that are often used together and sound natural to native speakers and the act of placing things, especially words, close together. Derived forms include collocability, collocate, collocational, and miscollocation. Related words include actant, co-locating, co-location, and collation.

## Topics
- Language & Linguistics
- Abstract Ideas

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