verb
adj
noun
Freq #38672
Meanings
-
1
verb
to come together in a group, usually for a particular purpose
Crowds congregated in the square to hear the speech.
Thesaurus
Word family
Forms
congregatedcongregatescongregating
Related forms
congregation
Etymology
The adjective is first attested in 1400–1450, in Middle English, the verb c. 1513; from Middle English congregat(e) (“(of people) banded together; (of liquids) accumulated; (of muscles) contracted; (of wounds) closed up”), borrowed from Latin congregātus, perfect passive participle of congregō (“to congregate”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3), from con- (“with, together”) + gregō (“to collect into a flock”), from grex (“flock, herd”). See gregarious and egregious. Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.
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