something that is collected; a group of objects or an amount of material accumulated in one location, especially for some purpose or as a result of some process: a stamp collection; a collection of unclaimed hats in the checkroom; a collection of books on Churchill.
the works of art constituting the holdings of an art museum: a history of the museum and of the collection.
the gathered or exhibited works of a single painter, sculptor, etc.: an excellent Picasso collection.
collections,the various holdings of an art museum organized by category, as painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, or film: the director of the collections.
the clothes or other items produced by a designer, especially for a seasonal line: the spring collection.
a sum of money collected, especially for charity or church use.
Manège. act of bringing or coming into a collected attitude.
Origin of collection
1350–1400;Middle Englishcolleccioun (< Anglo-French) < Latincollēctiōn- (stem of collēctiō), equivalent to collēct(us) (past participle of colligere; see collect1) + -iōn--ion
Related formscol·lec·tion·al, adjectivenon·col·lec·tion, nounpre·col·lec·tion, nounsub·col·lec·tion, noun
late 14c., "action of collecting," from Old French collection (14c.), from Latin collectionem (nominative collectio) "a gathering together," noun of action from colligere (see collect). Especially of money gathered for religious or charitable purposes from 1530s. Meaning "a group of objects viewed as a whole" is from c.1400.
