1704, "a collection of individuals," from French assemblage "gathering, assemblage," from assembler (see assemble). Earlier English words in the same sense include assemblement, assemblance (both late 15c.). The meaning "act of coming together" is from 1730; that of "act of fitting parts together" is from 1727.
c. 1600, "a garment or assemblage of garments," originally any clothing, especially that appropriate to rank or to some ceremony; the specific sense of "woman's garment consisting of a skirt and waist" is recorded by 1630s, with overtones of "made not merely to clothe but to adorn." Dress rehearsal first recorded 1828.
1590s, "a defeat (of an army, etc.) followed by disorderly retreat," from French route "disorderly flight of troops," literally "a breaking off, rupture," from Vulgar Latin *rupta "a dispersed group," literally "a broken group," from noun use of Latin rupta, fem. past participle of rumpere "to break" (see rupture (n.)).
The archaic English noun rout "group of persons, assemblage," is the same word, from Anglo-French rute, Old French route "host, troop, crowd," from Vulgar Latin rupta "a dispersed group," here with sense of "a division, a detachment." It came to English meaning "group of soldiers" (early 13c.), also "gang of outlaws or rioters, mob" (c. 1300) before the more general sense developed 14c.: "large social assemblage, a general gathering of guests for entertainment." But it also kept its sense of "disorderly or confused mass of persons, the rabble," and was a legal term in this meaning. A rout-cake (1807) was one baked for use at a reception.
1690s, originally an art criticism term, "assemblage of figures or objects forming a harmonious whole in a painting or design," from French groupe "cluster, group" (17c.), from Italian gruppo "group, knot," which probably is, with Spanish grupo, from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *kruppaz "round mass, lump," part of the general group of Germanic kr- words with the sense "rounded mass" (such as crop (n.).
Extended to "any assemblage, a number of individuals related in some way" by 1736. Meaning "pop music combo" is from 1958. As it was borrowed after the Great Vowel Shift in English, the pronunciation of the -ou- follows French rather than English models.
mid-14c., "order or position of things, arrangement, sequence," from Anglo-French arrai, Old French aroi, arroi (12c.), from areer "to put in order" (see array (v.)). From late 14c. as "rank or line of soldiers; troops drawn up in battle formation," also "equipment, furnishings, gear; splendid furnishings, grandeur, magnificence." The meaning "an orderly assemblage" is from 1814.
"an action of coming together," Old English meting "assembly," verbal noun from meet (v.). Specific meaning "gathering of people for discussion, etc." is from 1510s. In 17c., in England and Ireland it was applied generally to worship assemblies of nonconformists, but this now is retained mostly by Quakers. In the early U.S., especially in rural districts, it was applied to any assemblage for religious worship.
late 14c., "action of collecting, practice of gathering together," from Old French collection (14c.), from Latin collectionem (nominative collectio) "a gathering together," noun of action from past-participle stem of colligere "gather together" (see collect).
Especially of money gathered for religious or charitable purposes from 1530s. Meaning "a group of objects viewed as a whole" is from c. 1400; sense of "an assemblage of gathered objects" is from mid-15c. Meaning "act of receiving or compelling payment of money owed" is from 1650s.
"harmonious assemblage, friendly union," 1610s, from Late Latin contesserationem (nominative contesseratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of contesserare "contact friendship by means of square tablets," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + tessera "a die, cube, square tablet with writing on it" used as a token or ticket, from Ionic Greek tessera, neuter of tesseres "the numeral four" (from PIE root *kwetwer- "four"). Latin tessera hospitalis was "a die broken between host and guest, kept as a means of recognition."
"the galaxy as seen in the night sky," late 14c., loan-translation of Latin via lactea; see galaxy. Formerly in Middle English also Milken-Way and Milky Cercle. The ancients speculated on what it was; some guessed it was a vast assemblage of stars (Democrates, Pythagoras, even Ovid); the question was settled when Galileo, using his telescope, reported that the whole of it was resolvable into stars. Old native names for it include Jacob's Ladder, the Way to St. James's, and Watling Street (late 14c.).
