Meanings
recollect1
present singular third person recollects · participle present recollecting · participle past recollected · past recollected
- To recall; to collect one's thoughts again, especially about past events.
I remember the concert clearly, but I can't recollect why I had decided to go there.
1 more example
I recollect taking a very poor view of the apparently inadequate cabs of the Stirling engines, as compared with those of the Brighton; there were even to be seen at this time a number of the completely cabless Cudworths.
1957 July 28, M. D. Greville, “A Diamond Jubilee of Railway Memories”, in Railway Magazine, page 458
recollect2
present singular third person recollects · participle present recollecting · participle past recollected · past recollected · alternative re-collect
- obsoletetransitiveTo collect (things) together again.
- To compose oneself.
The Tyrian queen […] Admir'd his fortunes, more admir'd the man; then re-collected stood.
1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC1 more example
The Major suddenly recollected himself, and withdrew his hand, and at the same time, threw himself into a chair.
1847, Newton Mallory Curtis, The Patrol of the Mountain, page 52
Recollect3
Synonyms & antonyms
verbrecall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
recollect · verb
- Latinrecolligo“gather again, recover”
- Medieval Latinrecollectus“remembered, composed”
- Englishrecollect
Borrowed from Medieval Latin recollectus (“remembered, composed”), from Latin recolligo (“gather again, recover”).
More words from Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →recollect · verb
- Proto-Italic*wre-
- Latinre-
- Old Frenchre-
- Middle Englishre-
- Englishre-
- Englishcollect
- Englishrecollect
Translations
Ancient Greek μιμνήσκομαι, μνημονεύω
- μιμνήσκομαι (mimnḗskomai)to recall past events
- μνημονεύω (mnēmoneúō)to recall past events
Arabic تَذَكَّرَ
- تَذَكَّرَ (taḏakkara)to recall past events
Bulgarian спомням си
- спомням си (spomnjam si)to recall past events
Catalan recordar, rememorar
- recordarto recall past events
- rememorarto recall past events
- recol·lectea member of a French reform branch of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscans
Chinese Mandarin 回憶 /回忆, 追憶 /追忆
- 回憶 /回忆 (huíyì)to recall past events
- 追憶 /追忆 (zhuīyì)to recall past events
- 想起 (xiǎngqǐ)to recall past events
- 回想 (huíxiǎng)to recall past events
- 憶起 /忆起 (yìqǐ)to recall past events
Danish erindre
- erindreto recall past events
Dutch zich herinneren
- zich herinnerento recall past events
Esperanto rememori
- rememorito recall past events
Finnish muistella, palauttaa mieleensä
- muistellato recall past events
- palauttaa mieleensäto recall past events
French se souvenir, se rappeler
- se souvenirto recall past events
- se rappelerto recall past events
- récolleta member of a French reform branch of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscans
German sich erinnern, sich entsinnen
- sich erinnernto recall past events
- sich entsinnento recall past events
- gedenkento recall past events
Greek αναπολώ
- αναπολώ (anapoló)to recall past events
Hungarian emlékezik, emlékszik
- emlékezikto recall past events
- emlékszikto recall past events
Japanese 思い出す, 思い起す
- 思い出す (omoidasu)to recall past events
- 思い起す (omoiokosu)to recall past events
- 想起する (sōki suru)to recall past events
Latin meminī, recordor
- meminīto recall past events
- recordorto recall past events
- teneoto recall past events
- reminiscorto recall past events
Māori mahara
- maharato recall past events
Polish wspominać, wspomnieć
- wspominaćto recall past events
- wspomniećto recall past events
- przypominać sobieto recall past events
- przypomnieć sobieto recall past events
Portuguese recordar, lembrar
- recordarto recall past events
- lembrarto recall past events
Russian вспомина́ть, вспо́мнить
- вспомина́ть (vspominátʹ)to recall past events
- вспо́мнить (vspómnitʹ)to recall past events
Scottish Gaelic cuimhnich, meòraich
- cuimhnichto recall past events
- meòraichto recall past events
- bi cuimhne aigto recall past events
Spanish rebobinar
- rebobinarto recall past events
Swedish erinra sig, minnas
- erinra sigto recall past events
- minnasto recall past events
- dra sig till minnesto recall past events
- komma ihågto recall past events
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with recollect
Cite this entry
recollect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recollect
“recollect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recollect. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “recollect,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recollect.
Source: recollect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.