Definition of collate

The word "collate" has its roots in Latin. It comes from the verb "colligare," which means "to gather or bind together." This Latin term is a combination of "con" (meaning "together") and "ligare" (meaning "to bind"). In the 14th century, the Latin "colligare" was borrowed into Middle English as "collaten," which initially meant "to gather or collect together." Over time, the meaning of the word evolved to include the sense of "to arrange or assemble in a particular order," such as collating documents or collating information. Today, the word "collate" is used in various contexts, including document preparation, data analysis, and scholarly research, to describe the process of gathering and organizing related materials.