rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycollectionGathered items
noun

collection

kuh-LEK-shuhn/kəˈlekʃn/

The gathering of separate things together.

A collection of varied seashells fills the shallow wooden display tray.

A tidy collection of varied seashells arranged in a shallow wooden display tray.
Etymology
colLatintogether
+lectLatinto gather
+ionLatinaction or result

The pieces express gathering things together. The noun shifted from the act of gathering to its result: the objects assembled and viewed as a whole.

In context

Town Meeting TV6:55
a book of short stories each story is satisfying in itself and if it's a good collection they all sort of feel like they fit together somehow
What’s So Great about Beethoven’s Fifth? | Education and Enrichment for Everyone

More examples

  • Trash collection happens every Monday morning.
  • The study requires careful collection of water samples.
  • We take up a collection for the food bank.

Forms

collection · collections

collect verb — To gather separate things together.

collector noun — Someone who gathers items or receives payments.

Similar words

assortment
Emphasizes variety among items rather than their being gathered.
accumulation
Emphasizes things building up over time, sometimes without planning.
gathering
Names the act of bringing things together, not an organized set.