gather

I. verb (gathered; gathering) Etymology: Middle English gaderen, from Old English gaderian; akin to Middle High German gadern to unite — more at good Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. to bring together ; collect <

tried to gather a crowd

> <

gathered firewood

> 2. a. pick, harvest <

gather flowers

> b. to pick up or amass as if by harvesting <

gathering ideas for the project

> c. to scoop up or take up from a resting place <

gathered the child up in his arms

> 3. to serve as an attraction for ; accumulate <

books gathering dust

> 4. to effect the collection of <

gather contributions

> 5. a. to summon up <

gathered his courage

> b. to gain by gradual increase <

gather speed

> c. to prepare (as oneself) by mustering strength d. to gain or regain control of <

gathered his wits

> 6. to reach a conclusion often intuitively from hints or through inferences <

I gather that you want to leave

> 7. a. to pull (fabric) along a line of stitching so as to draw into puckers b. to draw about or close to something <

gathering her cloak about her

> c. to bring together the parts of <

gathered her hair into a ponytail

> d. to assemble (the signatures of a book) in sequence for binding e. to haul in <

the sailors gathered the sails

> intransitive verb 1. a. to come together in a body b. to cluster around a focus of attraction 2. a. to swell and fill with pus b. grow, increase <

the gathering crisis

> • gatherer noun Synonyms: gather, collect, assemble, congregate mean to come or bring together into a group, mass, or unit. gather is the most general term for bringing or coming together from a spread-out or scattered state <

a crowd quickly gathered

>. collect often implies careful selection or orderly arrangement <

collected books on gardening

>. assemble implies an ordered union or organization of persons or things often for a definite purpose <

experts assembled for a conference

>. congregate implies a spontaneous flocking together into a crowd or huddle <

congregating under a shelter

>. Synonym: see in addition infer. II. noun Date: 1555 1. something gathered: as a. a puckering in cloth made by gathering b. a mass of molten glass collected for use in glassblowing 2. an act or instance of gathering