Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
 
Help
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

Collective

 - 4 dictionary results

col⋅lec⋅tive

  [kuh-lek-tiv]
Use Collective in a Sentence
–adjective
1. formed by collection.
2. forming a whole; combined: the collective assets of a corporation and its subsidiaries.
3. of or characteristic of a group of individuals taken together: the collective wishes of the membership.
4. organized according to the principles of collectivism: a collective farm.
–noun
5. collective noun.
6. a collective body; aggregate.
7. a business, farm, etc., jointly owned and operated by the members of a group.
8. a unit of organization or the organization in a collectivist system.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME collectif (< MF) < L collēctīvus, equiv. to collēct(us) (ptp. of colligere; see collect 1 ) + -īvus -ive

Related forms:
col⋅lec⋅tive⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Collective
col·lec·tive   (kə-lěk'tĭv)   
adj.  

  1. Assembled into or viewed as a whole.

  2. Of, relating to, characteristic of, or made by a number of people acting as a group: a collective decision.

n.  

  1. An undertaking, such as a business operation, set up on the principles or system of collectivism.

  2. Grammar A collective noun.

col·lec'tive·ly adv., col·lec'tive·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

collective 
1520, from the source of collect (q.v.). As a shortened form of collective farm (in the U.S.S.R.) it dates from 1925. Collectivism in socialist theory is from 1880. Collective bargaining coined 1891 by Beatrice Webb; defined in U.S. 1935 by the Wagner Act.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: col·lec·tive
Pronunciation: k&-'lek-tiv
Function: adjective
: involving all members of a group as distinct from individual members —col·lec·tive·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Collective on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way