from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Gather \Gath"er\ (g[a^][th]"[~e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
{Gathered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Gathering}.] [OE. gaderen, AS.
gaderian, gadrian, fr. gador, geador, together, fr. g[ae]d
fellowship; akin to E. good, D. gaderen to collect, G. gatte
husband, MHG. gate, also companion, Goth. gadiliggs a
sister's son. [root]29. See {Good}, and cf. {Together}.]
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1. To bring together; to collect, as a number of separate
things, into one place, or into one aggregate body; to
assemble; to muster; to congregate.
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And Belgium's capital had gathered them
Her beauty and her chivalry. --Byron.
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When he had gathered all the chief priests and
scribes of the people together. --Matt. ii. 4.
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2. To pick out and bring together from among what is of less
value; to collect, as a harvest; to harvest; to cull; to
pick off; to pluck.
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A rose just gathered from the stalk. --Dryden.
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Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
--Matt. vii.
16.
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Gather us from among the heathen. --Ps. cvi. 47.
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3. To accumulate by collecting and saving little by little;
to amass; to gain; to heap up.
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He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his
substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity
the poor. --Prov.
xxviii. 8.
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To pay the creditor . . . he must gather up money by
degrees. --Locke.
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4. To bring closely together the parts or particles of; to
contract; to compress; to bring together in folds or
plaits, as a garment; also, to draw together, as a piece
of cloth by a thread; to pucker; to plait; as, to gather a
ruffle.
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Gathering his flowing robe, he seemed to stand
In act to speak, and graceful stretched his hand.
--Pope.
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5. To derive, or deduce, as an inference; to collect, as a
conclusion, from circumstances that suggest, or arguments
that prove; to infer; to conclude.
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Let me say no more!
Gather the sequel by that went before. --Shak.
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6. To gain; to win. [Obs.]
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He gathers ground upon her in the chase. --Dryden.
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7. (Arch.) To bring together, or nearer together, in masonry,
as where the width of a fireplace is rapidly diminished to
the width of the flue, or the like.
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8. (Naut.) To haul in; to take up; as, to gather the slack of
a rope.
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{To be gathered to one's people} or {To be gathered to one's
fathers} to die. --Gen. xxv. 8.
{To gather breath}, to recover normal breathing after being
out of breath; to get one's breath; to rest. --Spenser.
{To gather one's self together}, to collect and dispose one's
powers for a great effort, as a beast crouches preparatory
to a leap.
{To gather way} (Naut.), to begin to move; to move with
increasing speed.
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