Link Centre Dictionary

congregate

cong·re·gate

UK/ˈkɒŋɡɹəɡət/ US/ˈkɑŋɡrʌˌɡeɪt/ rare obsolete rare
verb (1) adjective (1)

verb

1.

come together, usually for a purpose

  • “The crowds congregated in front of the Vatican on Christmas Eve”

adjective

1.

brought together into a group or crowd

  • “the accumulated letters in my office”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

The adjective is first attested in 1400-1450, in Middle English, the verb c. 1513; from Middle English congregat(e) (“(of people) banded together; (of liquids) accumulated; (of muscles) contracted; (of wounds) closed up”), borrowed from Latin congregātus, perfect passive participle of congregō (“to congregate”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3), from con- (“with, together”) + gregō (“to collect into a flock”), from grex (“flock, herd”). See gregarious and egregious. Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.