a. (sb.) [ad. F. collectif, -ive, or L. collectīv-us, f. collect-us: see COLLECT ppl. a. and -IVE.]
A. adj.
1. Formed by collection of individual persons or things; constituting a collection; gathered into one; taken as a whole; aggregate, collected. (Opposed to individual, and to distributive: so also in sense 2.)
a. 1600. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., VIII. iv. § 7. In a collective body that hath not derived … the principality of power into some one or few.
1642–3. Earl Newcastle, Declar., in Rushw. (1721), V. 135. No Multitude of Men in the World, collective or representative.
1781. Tucker, Cui Bono? iv. Wks. III. 97. Mankind, taken in their aggregate or collective Capacity.
1819. W. Taylor, in Monthly Mag., XLVII. 30/2. He [F. Hagedorn] … was preparing a collective edition of his works in 1754, when he died unexpectedly, with a book in his hand.
1868. Milman, St. Paul’s, vii. 150. The collective revenues of all these chantries.
b. Bot. Applied to a fruit formed by the aggregation of several flowers, as the mulberry and pine-apple. (Opposed to simple.)
1880. Gray, Struct. Bot., vii. § 2. 291. Multiple or Collective fruits, formed by the union or compact aggregation of the pistils of several flowers.
1883. Worsley-Benison, in Evang. Mag., Oct., 460. Fruits may be ‘Simple,’ i. e. the produce of one flower, or ‘Collective,’ the produce of many flowers.
2. Of, pertaining to, or derived from, a number of individuals taken or acting together; common.
1650. R. Hollingworth, Exerc. conc. Vsvrped Powers, 3. Their consent … may be collective, or representative.
1658. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., III. xxv. 213. The collective judgement of the world.
1796. Morse, Amer. Geog., II. 222. The prelates … have no personal but two collective votes.
1806–31. A. Knox, Rem. (1844), I. 81. Where a collective and combined effect is to be produced.
1843. Carlyle, Past & Pr. (1858), 94. We have already a Collective Wisdom.
1875. Hamerton, Intell. Life, IX. vi. 324. Society is necessary to give us our share and place in the collective life of humanity.
b. Collective note: in diplomacy, an official communication signed by the representatives of several governments.
1863. Kinglake, Crimea, I. 358. The Conference of the four Powers represented at Vienna had just agreed to the terms of a collective Note.
3. a. Collective noun: a substantive which (in the singular) denotes a collection or number of individuals.
1520. Whitinton, Vulg. (1527), 6. The nominatyue case of the nowne collectiue.
1631. Gouge, God’s Arrows, III. § 55. 286. The enemies subdued are comprised under this collective word Amalek.
1846. Mill, Logic, I. ii. § 3. A collective name cannot be predicated of each separately, but only of all taken together.
1876. Jevons, Logic Prim., 17. Library is the collective name for many books put together.
b. So collective idea, notion, etc.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., II. xxiv. The great collective idea of all bodies whatsoever, signified by the name world.
1725. Watts, Logic, I. iii. § 2. When many ideas of the same kind are joined together, and united in one name, or under one view, it is called a collective idea, so an army, or a parliament, is a collection of men…. A compound idea unites things of a different kind; but a collective idea things of the same kind.
1727. R. Greene, Princ. Philos., 669. Collective Ideas of Substances, as a Troop, Army.
1870. Bowen, Logic, i. 11. A Concept is a collective (general or universal) representation of a whole class of things.
† c. Arith. Of a numeral: Formed of a collection of units; = CARDINAL a. 3. Obs.
1677. Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., I. iv. 109. This or that number, whether Collective, as three, six, nine; or Ordinal, as the second, third, or fourth.
† 4. That deduces or infers; inferential. Obs. rare. Cf. COLLECT v. 5.
1645. Milton, Tetrach. (1851), 164. This they affirm only from collective reason.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., I. vi. 21. Controulable … by criticall and collective reason.
† b. Grammar. Expressing an inference. (Cf. B 2.) Obs.
1750. Harris, Hermes, Wks. (1841), 188. The positives above mentioned are either causal … or collective, such as therefore, wherefore, then, etc.
† 5. Having the attribute of collecting; adapted to collect. Obs. rare.
[1715. Kersey, Collective, apt to gather, comprehensive.]
1742. Young, Nt. Th., iv. 407. A central point, collective of his sons.
B. ellipt. as sb.
1. Grammar. A collective noun: see A 3 a.
1641. Milton, Animadv. (1851), 224. Wee shall also put a manifest violence … upon a knowne word … in binding a Collective to a singular person.
1874. Sayce, Compar. Philol. vii. (1875), 280.
† 2. Grammar. A particle introducing an inferential clause. (Cf. A 4 b.) Obs. rare.
1750. Harris, Hermes, Wks. (1841), 188. Collectives subjoin effects to causes.
3. a. A collective body or whole. † b. A collection of extracts, precepts, etc., compiled and arranged (obs.). c. colloq. Short for collective wisdom, a phrase applied to Parliament.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., IX. iii. § 2. A Jewell (sometimes taken for a single precious stone) is properly a collective of many.
1830. W. Cobbett, Rur. Rides (1885), II. 337. Congratulate … your brethren of the Collective:… on … the happy effects of their measures.
a. 1834. Coleridge, Lit. Rem., IV. 438. Life is here the sum or collective of all moral and spiritual acts.
1843. Carlyle, Past & Pr. (1858), 95. Wisdom enough … to make an adequate Collective.
1844. For. Q. Rev., XXXIII. 18. If there exists a multitude, a collective of men.
