/ kəˈlektə(r); NAmE / noun
1.
(especially in compounds) a person who collects things, either as a hobby, or as a job :
a stamp collector
ticket / tax / debt collectors
2.
the chief officer of a district in some S Asian countries
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (denoting a person who collects money): from Anglo-Norman French collectour , from medieval Latin collector , from collect- gathered together, from the verb colligere , from col- together + legere choose or collect.