What does "collation" mean?
Bringing together.; The act of bringing things together and comparing them; comparison.
Collation
/kəˈleɪʃən/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Bringing together.; The act of bringing things together and comparing them; comparison.
- Grammar: collation is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: allocation, allotment, apportionment, arrangement.
- Useful contrasts: chaos, data dispersion, data fragmentation.
- Usage evidence: A fine collation was served, but the young Prince ate not a morsel, so intently was he occupied with her.
How to use "collation"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "collation" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "collation" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "collation" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "collation" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "collation" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "allocation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "collation", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Bringing together.; The act of bringing things together and comparing them; comparison. countable, uncountable
"November 8, 1717, The Bishop of Rochester, letter to Alexander Pope I return you your Milton, which, upon collation, I find to be revised, and augmented, in several places"
- 2 careful examination and comparison to note points of disagreement wordnet
- 3 Bringing together.; The act of collating pages or sheets of a book, or from printing etc. countable, uncountable
- 4 assembling in proper numerical or logical sequence wordnet
- 5 Bringing together.; A collection, a gathering. countable, uncountable
"It's fantastic, as is so much of Forgiveness Rock Record, a collation of so many talents that it's practically bursting at the seams."
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 a light informal meal wordnet
- 7 Discussion, light meal.; A conference or consultation. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 8 Discussion, light meal.; The Collationes Patrum in Scetica Eremo Commorantium by John Cassian, an important ecclesiastical work. (Now usually with capital initial.) countable, in-plural, uncountable
"A certain abbot, named Moses, thus testifieth of himself in the Collations of Cassianus, that he so afflicted himself with much fasting and watching, that sometimes, for two or three days together, not only he felt no appetite to eat, but also had no remembrance of any meat at all […]"
- 9 Discussion, light meal.; A reading held from the work mentioned above, as a regular service in Benedictine monasteries. countable, uncountable
"When the hymn was over the Sacrist was to strike the table for collation, and the Deacon to enter with the Gospel, preceded by three converts, carrying the candlestick and censer."
- 10 Discussion, light meal.; The light meal taken by monks after the reading service mentioned above. countable, uncountable
- 11 Discussion, light meal.; Any light meal or snack. countable, uncountable
"Her first glance was one of triumph—her next was one of mingled admiration and gratitude for Louis; and, accepting his offered hand, they led the way to the banquet prepared in the Palais Orion,—a favourite garden-house, where they often had collations when the party was but small, which was the case to-day."
- 12 The presentation of a clergyman to a benefice by a bishop, who has it in his own gift. countable, uncountable
- 13 The blending together of property so as to achieve equal division, mainly in the case of inheritance. countable, uncountable
- 14 An heir's right to combine the whole heritable and movable estates of the deceased into one mass, sharing it equally with others who are of the same degree of kindred. Scotland, countable, uncountable
- 15 The act of conferring or bestowing. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Not by the collation of the king […] but by the people."
- 16 Presentation to a benefice. countable, uncountable
- 17 The specification of how character data should be treated stored and sorted. countable, uncountable
- 18 The process of establishing a corrected text of a work by comparing differing manuscripts or editions of it; also used to describe the work resulting from such a process. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To partake of a collation, or light meal. obsolete
"I […] collationed in Spring Garden."
Example
"A fine collation was served, but the young Prince ate not a morsel, so intently was he occupied with her."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "collation"?
Common synonyms include: allocation, allotment, apportionment, arrangement, arrangement, array.
How do you use "collation" in a sentence?
A fine collation was served, but the young Prince ate not a morsel, so intently was he occupied with her.
How do you pronounce "collation"?
Pronounced /kəˈleɪʃən/.
Etymology
From Middle English collacioun, collation, from Old French collation, from Latin collatiō, from the participle stem of cōnferō (“to bring together”).