collective definition

English collective definition

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.

   Synonyms: congregated, 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.
   • 1642, Tho[mas] Browne, “(please specify the page)”, in Religio Medici. […], 4th edition, London: […] E. Cotes for Andrew Crook […], published 1656, OCLC 927499620:

     critical and collective reason

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

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.

   • 2006 March 5, Holland Cotter, “The Collective Conscious”, in The New York Times‎^[1], ISSN 0362-4331:

     Critical Art Ensemble is one of many art collectives operating on the principle that information is power and that it is most effectively made available through a combination of science and aesthetics.

   • 2021 October 13, Adam Bradley, “The Creative Collectives Finding Strength in Numbers”, in The New York Times‎^[2], ISSN 0362-4331:

     Today’s collectives create together, tour together, exhibit together, live together, survive together, eat together, sleep together, march together, fight together and party together, too.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

• Category:English collective nouns

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 collective definition

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

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 collective definition

Adjective

collēctīve

1. vocative masculine singular of collēctīvus