n.
Pronunciation: k ə - ' l ā -sh ə n, kä-, k ō -
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 [ Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin collation-, collatio, from Late Latin, conference, from Latin, bringing together, comparison, from conferre (pp. collatus ) to bring together ― more at CONFER , TOLERATE ] a : a light meal allowed on fast days in place of lunch or supper b : a light meal
2 [ Middle English, from Latin collation-, collatio ] : the act, process, or result of collating