-th(ə)riŋ, -rēŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English gadering, gaderung, from Old English gaderung, from gadrian, gaderian to gather + -ung, -ing -ing — more at gather
1.
a. : the action or an instance of coming together or accumulating
a gathering of dust on the shelves
that black gathering of clouds foretold a shower
the gathering of melted snow into little streams
b. : a coming together of people in a group (as for social, religious, or political purposes) : assembly , meeting
cultural and civic gatherings
the outstanding social gathering of the year
c. : a suppurating swelling : abscess
2.
a. : the act or work of a gatherer (as in contracting, accumulating, or assembling something)
b. : the collecting or gleaning of food and other raw materials from the wild
peoples whose economy is based on gathering are ill-situated to attain the stability essential to any high level of civilization
3. : something that is gathered: as
a. : a collection (as of money for charity) or compilation (as of literary fragments)
b. : parison
c. : a gather in cloth
d. : the leaves of a book that are folded and stitched into one signature
e. : sap collected at one time in a sugar-maple orchard
the evening gathering is usually much larger than the morning one is