ENGLISH
REFERENCE

colleague

v.
US //ˈkɑɫiɡ// UK //kˈɒliːɡ// col·league
  1. 1 to join together (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Formal

    to join or work together with other people.

    to unite or associate with others. This verbal use is extremely rare in modern English and is largely restricted to historical or legal contexts.

    Example

    The two small groups decided to colleague together for the project.

    Example

    In the ancient charter, the various guilds were permitted to colleague for the purpose of mutual defence and trade regulation.

Origin

From Middle French collegue, from Latin collēga (“a partner in office”), from com- (“with”) + lēgō (“to send on an embassy”), from lēx (“law”).

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