collation
Americannoun
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the act of collating.
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Bibliography. the verification of the number and order of the leaves and signatures of a volume.
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a light meal that may be permitted on days of general fast.
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any light meal.
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(in a monastery) the practice of reading and conversing on the lives of the saints or the Scriptures at the close of the day.
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the presentation of a member of the clergy to a benefice, especially by a bishop who is the patron or has acquired the patron's rights.
noun
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the act or process of collating
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a description of the technical features of a book
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RC Church a light meal permitted on fast days
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any light informal meal
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the appointment of a clergyman to a benefice
Etymology
Origin of collation
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English collacion, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin collātiōn-, stem of collātiō “placement together, combination”; equivalent to collate + -ion
Explanation
A collation is the collection and ordering of materials, usually paper. It can be tedious and repetitive work, so most people are more than happy to let a copy machine do the job for them. Collation actually has two separate and very different meanings. After you finish the collation of all those document pages, you might grab a quick collation. (That is, you deserve a light snack after all that organizing.) That's right, a collation is also "a light meal," usually cold, and often set out for people to take at their leisure. It sometimes refers to a small meal eaten on fasting days.
Vocabulary lists containing collation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Saudi Arabia entered the war in 2015, heading a military collation with the United Arab Emirates and other Arab nations.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 16, 2023
“I have arranged a collation, if you will do me the honour. We were all up early today.”
From The Guardian • Feb. 22, 2020
Appearing in Science magazine, the article is largely a collation of information already made public through media briefings and press releases.
From BBC • Oct. 15, 2015
In June 2003, the U.S. carried out air strikes near Haditha to allow collation forces to seize the facility from Saddam Hussein’s army.
From Time • Sep. 8, 2014
Near us a boy owned loudly that this was a tearing fine collation; and a young maiden replied that she had not seen a more belle assemblee in all her years.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
