collective

English

Etymology

From Middle French collectif, from Latin collēctīvus, from collēctus, past participle of colligō (“I collect”), from com- (“together”) + legō (“I gather”). Compare French collectif. Doublet of colectivo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kəˈlɛktɪv/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Hyphenation, US: col‧lec‧tive; UK: col‧lect‧ive
• Rhymes: -ɛktɪv

Adjective

collective (not comparable)

1. formed by gathering or collecting; gathered into a mass, sum, or body; congregated or aggregated

   the collective body of a nation

2. tending to collect; forming a collection
   • 1741, [Edward Young], “Night the Fourth. The Christian Triumph.”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], OCLC 558562307, page 18:

     Local is his throne […] to fix a point, / A central point, collective of his sons.

3. having plurality of origin or authority
4. (grammar) expressing a collection or aggregate of individuals, by a singular form
5. (obsolete) deducing consequences; reasoning; inferring.
   • 1643, Thomas Browne, Religio Medici

     critical and collective reason

Derived terms

• collective agreement
• collective call sign
• collective fruit
• collectively
• collective memory
• collectiveness
• collective note
• collective noun
• collective number
• collective numeral
• collective punishment
• collective security
• collective study
• collective unconscious
• hypercollective

 

Related terms

• collect
• collectible
• collection
• collectivity
• collector

 

Translations

formed by gathering or collecting

• Finnish: yhteinen (fi)

• Persian: جمعی‎ (fa) (jam'i)

tending to collect; forming a collection

• Finnish: kokoava (fi)

having plurality of origin or authority

• Bulgarian: колективен (bg) (kolektiven)
• Esperanto: kolektiva
• Finnish: yhteinen (fi)

• Persian: جمعی‎ (fa) (jam'i)

in grammar

• Bulgarian: събирателен (bg) (sǎbiratelen)
• Catalan: col·lectiu (ca)
• Dutch: collectief (nl)
• Finnish: kollektiivinen (fi)

• Greek: περιληπτικός (el) m (periliptikós)
• Polish: zbiorowy (pl) m
• Russian: собирательное (ru) n (sobiratelʹnoje)
• Spanish: colectivo (es)

deducing consequences; reasoning; inferring

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} שתופי‎ (he) (shitûphi)

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} tiomsaitheach

Noun

collective (plural collectives)

1. a farm owned by a collection of people
2. (especially in communist countries) one of more farms managed and owned, through the state, by the community
3. (grammar) a collective noun or name
4. (by extension) a group dedicated to a particular cause or interest
   • 2005, Zoya Kocur, Simon Leung, Theory in contemporary art since 1985 (page 76)

     There are, however, a number of contemporary artists and art collectives that have defined their practice precisely around the facilitation of dialogue among diverse communities.

Translations

farm owned by a group

• Finnish: kollektiivitila (fi)

state farm

• Finnish: kolhoosi (fi)

in grammar

• Breton: strollder (br) m
• Dutch: verzamelnaam (nl)
• Finnish: kollektiivinen substantiivi
• French: collectif (fr) m

• Greek: περιληπτικό όνομα n (periliptikó ónoma), περιληπτική έννοια (periliptikí énnoia)
• Welsh: enw torfol m

group

• Bulgarian: колектив (bg) m (kolektiv)
• Dutch: collectief (nl)
• Esperanto: kolektivo
• Finnish: kollektiivi (fi)
• Greek: συλλογικότητα (el) f (syllogikótita)

• Maori: tōpūtanga
• Spanish: colectivo (es) m

Derived terms

• collective noun
• collectivize

 

See also

• collective fruit (Botany), that which is formed from a mass of flowers, as the mulberry, pineapple, and the like; -- called also multiple fruit.

References

• collective in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• collective in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• collective at OneLook Dictionary Search

Further reading

• "collective" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 69.

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French

Adjective

collective

1. feminine singular of collectif

   Après une belle action collective, l'équipe a enfin marqué un but. ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

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Latin

Adjective

collēctīve

1. vocative masculine singular of collēctīvus