Congregate

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈkÉ’Å‹.ɡɹə.É¡eɪt/

Origin

Latin congregatus, past participle of congregare ("to congregate"); from con- ("with, together") + gregare ("to collect into a flock"), from grex ("flock, herd"). See gregarious.

Full definition of congregate

Adjective

1. (rare) Collective; assembled; compact.
• 1605, Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning, Book II, Chapter IX:With this reservation, therefore, we proceed to human philosophy or humanity, which hath two parts: the one considereth man segregate or distributively, the other congregate or in society; so as human philosophy is either simple and particular, or conjugate and civil.

Verb

1. (transitive): To collect into an assembly or assemblage; to assemble; to bring into one place, or into a united body; to gather together; to mass; to compact.
• Hooker,Any multitude of Christian men congregated may be termed by the name of a church.
• Coleridge,Cold congregates all bodies.
• Milton,
2. The great receptacle Of congregated waters he called Seas.
3. (intransitive): To come together; to assemble; to meet.
• William Shakespeare,Even there where merchants most do congregate.

Related terms

• congregation