collect

Collect comes from Latin colligere, "to gather," formed from com- and legere "to pick." The verb appears in Latin texts by the 1st century BCE. It referred to gathering objects, ideas, or people. The sense was practical and broad.

Late Latin used collecta as a "collection," and in church Latin collecta became a set prayer. By the 5th century, the term was established in ecclesiastical usage. The root still held the idea of gathering. It linked gathering with liturgical practice.

Old French adopted the verb as collecter in the 12th century. English borrowed collect by the late 14th century. Early English examples date to around 1390. The verb spread from formal writing into common use.

In modern English, collect means to gather items, people, or information. It also has specialized senses in finance and data work. The spelling has stayed stable since Middle English. The Latin root is still visible.