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collective
7 dictionary results for: collective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
col·lec·tive       [kuh-lek-tiv] Pronunciation Key
–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 colléctīvus, equiv. to colléct(us) (ptp. of colligere; see collect1) + -īvus -ive]

—Related forms
col·lec·tive·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
col·lec·tive       (kə-lěk'tĭv)  Pronunciation Key 
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.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
collective

adjective
1. done by or characteristic of individuals acting together; "a joint identity"; "the collective mind"; "the corporate good" [syn: corporate] 
2. forming a whole or aggregate [ant: distributive] 
3. set up on the principle of collectivism or ownership and production by the workers involved usually under the supervision of a government; "collective farms" 

noun
1. members of a cooperative enterprise 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
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.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Collective

Col*lect"ive\, a. [L. collectivus: cf. F. collectif.]

1. Formed by gathering or collecting; gathered into a mass, sum, or body; congregated or aggregated; as, the collective body of a nation. --Bp. Hoadley.

2. Deducing consequences; reasoning; inferring. [Obs.] "Critical and collective reason." --Sir T. Browne.

3. (Gram.) Expressing a collection or aggregate of individuals, by a singular form; as, a collective name or noun, like assembly, army, jury, etc.

4. Tending to collect; forming a collection.

Local is his throne . . . to fix a point, A central point, collective of his sons. --Young.

5. Having plurality of origin or authority; as, in diplomacy, a note signed by the representatives of several governments is called a collective note.

Collective fruit (Bot.), that which is formed from a mass of flowers, as the mulberry, pineapple, and the like; -- called also multiple fruit. --Gray.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Collective

Col*lect"ive\, n. (Gram.) A collective noun or name.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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