Foregather

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To gather together in advance for a shared purpose or event while aiming to discuss or prepare collaboratively
2. To meet prior to a specific occasion with the intent to strategize or make plans in a collective manner
3. To come together in one place, usually in a small group, often for a common reason or activity

Etymology: "Foregather" is an alternative spelling of "forgather," and its story runs through Scotland rather than the usual London-to-Latin route. The verb comes from Scots, where "forgather" or "foregather" meant "to gather up" or "assemble." Its parts are plain: the prefix "for-," which in older English often intensified or completed an action, attached to "gather." The sense of coming together in advance, which is the modern meaning, grew out of that basic idea of people gathering in one place. The word's close relatives on the Continent show how common the idea was. Dutch "vergaderen" means "to assemble," and German "vergattern" has a sharper flavour: it can mean "to assemble" but also "to assign duty," as when soldiers are called together and given orders. The shared sense of gathering people together links these words across languages, even though each developed its own shades of meaning.

Synonyms: gather, assemble, convene, meet, collect

Antonyms: disperse, scatter, separate, divide, dissolve