colligate: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2 (Very Low Frequency, Academic/Technical)Formal, Academic, Technical, Literary
Quick answer
What does “colligate” mean?
To connect or link items together, especially facts, ideas, or pieces of information, as part of a logical or systematic grouping.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To connect or link items together, especially facts, ideas, or pieces of information, as part of a logical or systematic grouping.
In formal usage, it describes the act of binding or tying together disparate elements into a coherent whole. In philosophy or logic, it can refer to the operation of linking propositions under a general principle.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or meaning differences. Usage is equally rare and specialized in both varieties.
Connotations
Carries a strong connotation of scholarly rigor and systematic analysis in both BrE and AmE.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in general corpora, with a slight tendency to appear more often in philosophical or linguistic academic texts.
Grammar
How to Use “colligate” in a Sentence
[Subject] colligates [Object] (e.g., The theory colligates the data)[Subject] colligates [Object] under/into [Category/Principle] (e.g., He colligated the facts into a single argument)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “colligate” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The philosopher sought to colligate the ethical principles of the two traditions.
- Her thesis brilliantly colligates historical data with contemporary social theory.
American English
- The researcher's goal was to colligate all the disparate study findings.
- A good theory colligates phenomena that previously seemed unrelated.
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverbial form exists. One might awkwardly say '...argued colligatively...' in very specialized writing.]
American English
- [No standard adverbial form exists. One might awkwardly say '...argued colligatively...' in very specialized writing.]
adjective
British English
- [Rarely used. The adjectival form is typically 'colligative' in scientific contexts, with a different meaning related to solutions.]
American English
- [Rarely used. The adjectival form is typically 'colligative' in scientific contexts, with a different meaning related to solutions.]
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually unused. A potential context might be in high-level strategic analysis: 'The consultant's role was to colligate market trends from diverse reports.'
Academic
Primary context. Used in philosophy, history of science, linguistics, and literary theory: 'The historian's task is to colligate disparate events into a meaningful narrative.'
Everyday
Extremely rare. Would sound overly formal and pretentious.
Technical
Used in specific fields like logic (colligating propositions) or library science (colligating metadata).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “colligate”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “colligate”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “colligate”
- Using it as a fancier synonym for 'collect' (e.g., 'He colligated the samples' – incorrect).
- Confusing it with 'collaborate'.
- Overusing it in informal contexts where 'connect' or 'link' would be appropriate.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. 'Collect' means to gather items together physically or in a list. 'Colligate' is an intellectual process of connecting items logically or systematically to show a relationship or create a unified idea.
It is most at home in academic writing, particularly in philosophy (especially history/philosophy of science), historiography (how history is written), literary theory, and linguistics.
'Correlate' implies a mutual relationship or correspondence where one thing changes predictably with another (often statistical). 'Colligate' is about binding separate items under a unifying concept or principle, not necessarily implying mutual influence.
Yes, 'colligation' is the standard noun, meaning the act or result of colligating. For example: 'The colligation of these ideas forms the basis of his theory.'
To connect or link items together, especially facts, ideas, or pieces of information, as part of a logical or systematic grouping.
Colligate is usually formal, academic, technical, literary in register.
Colligate: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɒlɪɡeɪt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɑːlɪɡeɪt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms for this term]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of COLLEGE students needing to COLLIGATE all their lecture notes and readings to form a coherent essay argument.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE/IDEAS ARE THREADS (that can be woven/tied together).
Practice
Quiz
In which of the following sentences is the word 'colligate' used MOST appropriately?