[Partly a. OF. collecte-r (of date 1371 in sense ‘to collect taxes’; so med.L. collectāre, Sp. colectar), f. collecte sb., L. collecta, COLLECT sb. But it is probable that the introduction of the verb as Eng. was partly due to the earlier use of collect pa. pple. as a direct adaptation of L. collectus, pa. pple. of colligĕre to gather together (f. col- + legĕre to gather); and it is certain that the use of the word rests upon its being viewed as the formal Eng. representative of L. colligĕre, as in the numerous verbs formed on the Latin ppl. stems: cf. attract, correct, protect, etc.]
1. trans. To gather together into one place or group; to gather, get together.
1573. Foxe, Life Tindale (R.). To collect and set forth his whole workes togither.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., IV. i. 304. Collect them all together At my Tent.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., I. (1843), 31/2. If the sermons … were collected together, and published.
1798. Ferriar, Illustr. Sterne, iii. 58. He collects … the opinions of a multitude of writers.
1871. Ruskin, Munera P. (1880), Pref. 7. I was collecting materials for my work on Venetian architecture.
1879. Lubbock, Sc. Lect., iii. 71. Our English ants do not collect provision for the winter.
1886. P. O. Guide, 108. Letters posted in the Pillar Boxes on Sundays are collected … in time for the general Day Mails.
b. To gather (contributions of money, or money due, as taxes, etc.) from a number of people. Also absol. to gather money for a charitable purpose or the like, to make a (pecuniary) collection.
1643. J. White, 1st Cent. Priests, 40. While the Church Wardens are collecting the monies.
a. 1687. Petty, Pol. Arith. (1690), 90. In Collecting of Customs.
1766. C. Leadbetter, Royal Gauger (ed. 6), 457. There shall be raised, levied and collected, the sum of 4s. for every Hogshead of Cyder or Perry.
1825. New Monthly Mag., XIII. 313. Exhibiting samples, procuring orders, and collecting debts for some … house in the city.
1864. Sala, in Daily Tel., 12 Aug. In this country [U.S.A.], to dun a debtor for a bill is called ‘collecting an account.’
c. 1875. Q. Printers’ Bible Aids, 175. Paul bids the Corinthians collect for the saints at Jerusalem.
c. esp. To gather or make a collection of (scientific specimens, rare books, curiosities, etc.); hence loosely or humorously with a single thing as object. Also absol.
1749. B. Wilkes, Eng. Butterflies, G. You may collect great Variety of Caterpillars.
1811. Dibdin, Bibliomania, 542. To collect all the Editions of a work which have been published.
1838. S. Parker, Explor. Tour Rocky Mts. (1846), 181. Mr. Townsend … in addition to collecting birds … had collected rare specimens of reptiles.
1863. Kingsley, Water-bab., 308. The giant pulled out a bottle and a cork … to collect him with.
1888. ‘Bernard,’ Fr. World to Cloister, i. 3. I have gone on ‘collecting’ by sheer force of habit.
d. Watch-making. To fit together the parts of (a watch) into their proper places.
1885. Pall Mall Gaz., 21 May, 6/1. Collecting the watch—that is, putting the wheels, &c., into their places.
2. intr. (for refl.) To gather together, assemble, accumulate.
1794. Hull Adv., 2 Aug., 3/1. The people of the town collecting, the artillery are said to have fired, and dispersed them.
1796. Morse, Amer. Geog., I. 302. The militia collected from all quarters.
1816. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, I. 2. [It] collects at the bottom of the furnace.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 576. A force was collecting at Bridport to oppose the insurgents.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. § 23. 165. In the line of its [an avalanche’s] rush was a house in which five or six and twenty people had collected for safety: nineteen of them were killed.
3. trans. To regain or reassert control over, recall to order (one’s faculties, thoughts, etc.); to summon up, gather and bring into action (courage, etc.). To collect oneself: to recover oneself from surprise or a disconcerted or distracted state; to gather together one’s scattered thoughts, feelings or energies; to compose oneself.
1602. Marston, Ant. & Mel., II. Wks. 1856, I. 28. What meanes these scattred looks? why tremble you?… Collect your spirits, Madam.
1611. Shaks., Wint. T., III. iii. 38. Affrighted much, I did in time collect my selfe.
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 986. Satan … Collecting all his might dilated stood.
1761–2. Hume, Hist. Eng. (1806), III. xlviii. 728. Raleigh, finding his fate inevitable, collected all his courage.
1793. W. Roberts, Looker-on (1794), II. 413. As it is my custom to be long in collecting myself, before I can deliver my thoughts with ease.
1860. Pusey, Min. Proph., 455. We use ‘collect one’s self,’ for bringing one’s self, all one’s thoughts, together, and so, having full possession of one’s self.
1864. D. G. Mitchell, Sev. Stories, 232. The Count … collected his thoughts.
† b. intr. (for refl.) Obs. rare.
1631. Shirley, Traitor, III. iii. Collect, I fear you are not well.
1801. Southey, Thalaba, I. iv. At length collecting, Teinab turn’d her eyes To heaven.
† c. To recall to remembrance, recollect. rare.
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., I. i. B. Doe but collect, Sr, where I met you first.
4. Horsemanship. To bring (a horse) into such a position that he has complete command of his powers, and is completely in hand; as opposed to letting him sprawl or spread himself out.
1833. Regul. & Instr. Cavalry, I. 57. When a horse defends himself against being collected by leaning on the hand.
1859. Rarey, Art Taming Horses, viii. 127. By a judicious use of the curb rein, you collect a tired horse…. You draw his hind-legs under him, throw him upon his haunches, and render him less liable to fall even on his weary or weak fore-legs.
1887. Illustr. Sporting & Dram. News, 19 Nov., 263/1. He … never made it without getting his horse well balanced and collected.
b. refl.
1859. Rarey, Art Taming Horses, viii. 127. A horse should never be turned without being made to collect himself.
1879. Whyte-Melville, Riding Recoll., v. 77. For a bank he is pretty sure to collect himself without troubling his rider.
5. To form a conclusion, draw an inference; to conclude, deduce, infer. Now rare, the current word being gather. a. with obj. phrase, subord. clause, or inf.
1581. Lambarde, Eiren., IV. xxi. (1588), 622. Hereof also M. Marrow collecteth, that … only eight of them shall receiue the wages.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., VI. i. 277. Clemens Alexandrinus collecteth the time from Adam unto the death of Commodus to be 5858 years.
1651. Fuller, Abel Rediv., Ep. Rdr. A iij a. That so the other … may collect here and how to amend anything that is amisse. Ibid. (1655), Ch. Hist. I. iv. § 16. Meursius collecteth him a French-man. Ibid. (a. 1661), Worthies (1840), I. 240. I collect him to have died about the year 1635.
1671. Milton, P. R., IV. 524. By all best conjectures, I collect Thou art to be my fatal enemy.
1752. J. Gill, Trinity, vii. 141. That he … was the Son of God, may very well be collected from these words.
1818. Cruise, Digest (ed. 2), VI. 445. What the Judges collected to be the intention of the testator.
1856. Whewell, in Todhunter, Acct. Whewell’s Writings, II. 408. I collect that you are returned, from your communication to the Athenæum.
b. with simple obj. Chiefly of logical inference.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., III. i. 35. The reuerent care I beare vnto my Lord, Made me collect these dangers in the Duke.
1656. R. Robinson, Christ all, 559. The Jews collected Christ’s love to Lazarus by his tears.
1736. Butler, Anal., Introd. Wks. 1874, I. 9. Many of the laws of Nature … may be collected from experiments.
a. 1853. Robertson, Serm., Ser. III. xviii. 242. The first inference we collect from this subject.
† c. intr. To sum up, infer. Obs. rare.
1594. Carew, trans. Huarte’s Exam. Wits, 29. Galen prooues … that [etc.] … thereon he collects, saying [etc.].
