What does "collaboration" mean?

1. (a joint project) a specific piece of work, like a song or a book, created by two or more people. 2. (cooperating with an enemy) the act of helping an enemy who has taken control of your country.

collaboration

US //kəˌɫæbɝˈeɪʃən// UK //kəlˌæbəɹˈeɪʃən// col·lab·o·ra·tion

1 a joint project (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a specific piece of work, like a song or a book, created by two or more people.

a specific product or creation resulting from joint effort. Countable in this sense.

Example

The new album is a collaboration between a famous singer and a jazz pianist.

Example

Their latest collaboration, a documentary about urban wildlife, received critical acclaim at several international film festivals last year.
- joint venture
- co production
2 cooperating with an enemy (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal

the act of helping an enemy who has taken control of your country.

traitorous cooperation with an enemy, especially an occupying force. Uncountable in this historical and political sense.

Example

He was accused of collaboration with the enemy during the war.

Example

The post-war trials focused heavily on individuals suspected of active collaboration with the occupying regime during the four-year conflict.

Teacher's tip

This sense carries a very strong negative moral judgment; use 'cooperation' for neutral or positive contexts.
- collusion
- treachery
- resistance

Origin

Originated 1855–60 from French collaboration, from Late Latin collaboratus + -ion, from Latin con- (“with”) + labōrō (“work”). Morphologically collaborate + -ion.

Word family

Nouncollab
Nouncollaboration

Idioms1 entry

01
adversarial collaboration
Any of a class of study designs in which scientists with conflicting theories work together with others who are neutral or agnostic about those theories, and this team runs an experiment to test the theories empirically and thus find out whether one of the theories is contradicted by the evidence found.