collocation

[ kol-uh-key-shuh n ]

/ ˌkɒl əˈkeɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR collocation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of collocating.

the state or manner of being collocated.

the arrangement, especially of words in a sentence.

Linguistics. a co-occurrence of lexical items, as perform with operation or commit with crime.

Nearby words

collision insurance, collision zone, collo-, colloblast, collocate, collocation, collocutor, collodi, collodion, collodion baby, collodion process

Origin of collocation

1595–1605; < Latin collocātiōn- (stem of collocātiō), equivalent to collocāt(us) (see collocate) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

col·lo·ca·tion·al, col·lo·ca·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for collocation

That collocation of languages gives the order in which the hymnody of the Church developed.
Hymns of the Early Church|John Brownlie
There was a fine shade of flattery in the collocation that touched the lawyer.
Luttrell Of Arran|Charles James Lever
The collocation of the clauses implies that all these were presents from the king.
Ancient Egypt|George Rawlinson
In classical Latin, such a collocation of consonants does not lengthen the preceding short syllable, but is simply inadmissible.
Essays|Arthur Christopher Benson

But the collocation of all and many is harsh, and the position of many is anomalous.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 2|Alexander Maclaren

British Dictionary definitions for collocation

collocation

/ (ˌkɒləˈkeɪʃən) /

noun

a grouping together of things in a certain order, as of the words in a sentence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012