collaboration (n.)
1830, "act of working together, united labor" (especially in literature or scientific study), from French collaboration, noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin collaborare "work with," from assimilated form of com "with" (see com-) + laborare "to work" (see labor (v.)).
In a bad sense, "traitorous cooperation with an occupying enemy," it is recorded from 1940; earliest references are to the Vichy Government of France. Collaborationist was used disparagingly in socialist jargon from 1922.
Entries linking to collaboration
word-forming element usually meaning "with, together," from Latin com, archaic form of classical Latin cum "together, together with, in combination," from PIE *kom- "beside, near, by, with" (compare Old English ge-, German ge-). The prefix in Latin sometimes was used as an intensive.
Before vowels and aspirates, it is reduced to co-; before -g-, it is assimilated to cog- or con-; before -l-, assimilated to col-; before -r-, assimilated to cor-; before -c-, -d-, -j-, -n-, -q-, -s-, -t-, and -v-, it is assimilated to con-, which was so frequent that it often was used as the normal form.
The verb in modern French, Spanish, and Portuguese means "to plow;" the wider sense being taken by the equivalent of English travail. Sense of "endure pain, suffer" is early 15c., especially in phrase labor of child (mid-15c.). Meaning "be burdened" (with trouble, affliction, etc., usually with under) is from late 15c. The transitive senses have tended to go with belabor. Related: Labored; laboring.
updated on March 15, 2018
Dictionary entries near collaboration
coliform
Colin
coliseum
colitis
collaborate
collaboration
collaborator
collage
collagen
collapsable
collapse
