congregate
congregate Lexical Profile
congregate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To come together or gather into a crowd, group, or assembly.
"Students often congregate in the campus courtyard between afternoon lectures."
• adjective
Gathered together into a collective mass or group; specifically designating shared residential or dining facilities where residents have private living quarters but share common spaces and services.
"The municipal government increased funding for congregate meal programs and senior housing complexes."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a verb, 'congregate' is spoken with a long 'a' sound in the final syllable (/ˈkɒŋɡrɪɡeɪt/), whereas its rarer adjective form—seen in phrases like 'congregate housing'—is pronounced with an unstressed schwa (/ˈkɒŋɡrɪɡət/).
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Latin congregatus, the past participle of congregare ('to herd together'), formed from com- ('together') and grex ('flock' or 'herd', which also gives English 'gregarious' and 'egregious').