collate

verb

Etymology: From Latin collātus, perfect passive participle of conferō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of confer. See also infer, delate and defer (Etymology 2), relate and refer, as well as prelate and prefer among others. Not related to collateral.

1. To examine diverse documents and so on, to discover similarities and differences.

   “The young attorneys were set the task of collating the contract submitted by the other side with the previous copy.”

   “collate data”

2. To assemble something in a logical sequence.

   “Detest your own age. Build a better one. And to set that on foot read incredibly dull essays upon Marlowe to your friends. For which purpose one must collate editions in the British Museum.”

   “"Once collated, all files are sent to an external printing business with a turnaround time of about seven days, and then most of the distribution is done in-house.”

3. To sort multiple copies of printed documents into sequences of individual page order, one sequence for each copy, especially before binding.

   “Collating was still necessary because they had to insert foldout sheets and index tabs into the documents.”

4. To bestow or confer.

   “Becauſe thoſe hereticall Biſhops being depoſed and reduced into Lay-communion, could not therefore collate baptiſme for their want of holy Orders: […]”

5. To admit a cleric to a benefice; to present and institute in a benefice, when the person presenting is both the patron and the ordinary; followed by to.