collector

[kuh-lek-ter]

noun

1. a person or thing that collects.

2. a person employed to collect debts, duties, taxes, etc.

3. a person who collects books, paintings, stamps, shells, etc., especially as a hobby.

4. Electricity.,  a device for accumulating current from contact conductors.

5. Electronics.,  an electrode in a transistor or vacuum tube for collecting electrons, ions, or holes.

6. Metallurgy.,  promoter.

7. Energy.,  solar collector.

collector

/ kəˈlɛktə /

noun

1. a person or thing that collects

2. a person employed to collect debts, rents, etc

3. the head of a district administration in India

4. a person who collects or amasses objects as a hobby

5. electronics the region in a transistor into which charge carriers flow from the base

Other Word Forms

• collectorship noun
• collectorate noun
• precollector noun
• subcollector noun
• subcollectorship noun
• undercollector noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of collector¹

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Anglo-French ) < Medieval Latin, equivalent to Latin colleg- (variant stem of colligere; collect ¹ ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

This last weekend, Rare Books L.A. transformed Union Station’s historic ticket hall into a bustling biblio-bazaar, drawing more than 50 antiquarian booksellers and collectors from across the country.

From Los Angeles Times

For immediate, in-person transactions, sneaker collectors will buy and sell at a place such as CoolKicks.

From Los Angeles Times

Like a good bill collector, he always closes with “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

From Salon

Thousands of families now risk calls from debt collectors — but officials say their hands were tied: unpaid balances were straining the district’s food service fund, which is federally required to be self-sustaining.

From Salon

Ghost arrived at the Aquarium of the Pacific in May 2024 from a “carefully vetted collector using humane and sustainable collection practices,” Jaros said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• connoisseur 
• hobbyist