Collocations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collection of words that frequently appear together in specific contexts constitutes a meaningful expression
2. The grouping of certain words that commonly coexist in language showcases common usage patterns
3. A set of terms that are often found in proximity to one another reveals language trends and preferences

Etymology: "Collocation" entered English in 1605 as a learned borrowing from Latin "collocatio," meaning "a putting together." Its parts are plain enough: "col-" ("together," from Latin "com-") attached to "location," so the word literally means a placing together of things. For over three centuries it kept that general sense, referring to any arrangement of items side by side. The modern meaning is a twentieth-century development. In linguistics, the term was given its technical sense in 1951, when it came to describe words that habitually appear next to one another, such as "heavy rain" or "make a decision." The mid-century date is the earliest firm record, though the usage may be somewhat older. The word thus moved from describing physical placement to describing the way words are placed beside each other in speech and writing.

Synonyms: combinations, phrases, expressions, constructions, set phrases

Antonyms: dispersions, isolations, separations