Collectible

How to spell collectible

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce collectible

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does collectible mean?

1. nounAn item valued and sought after by people who collect such objects.
2. adjectiveWorth collecting, or able to be collected by enthusiasts.

Collectible in a sentence

• noun

  The vintage lunchbox turned out to be a rare collectible.

• adjective

  First edition prints are highly collectible among art buyers.

• noun

  He sold every collectible from his comic book hoard at auction.

• adjective

  The brand released a collectible set of enamel pins.

Where does collectible come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin verb colligere, meaning 'to gather together', formed from com- 'together' and legere 'to choose or gather'. That same legere root gives English a large family of relatives, including 'collect', 'select', 'elect', and even 'lecture', all built on the idea of picking or gathering. English had the verb 'collect' from the late 1300s, borrowed through Old French and directly from Latin, and the adjective sense 'able to be collected' followed naturally. The noun use, meaning an object worth seeking out and keeping, is much more recent and grew popular in the twentieth century alongside hobby markets for stamps, coins, and memorabilia. The spelling trap lies in the ending: writers must choose -ible rather than -able, and the form 'collectable' also exists, which keeps the uncertainty alive.

How the word is built

• col- (com-: together)
• lect (from legere: to gather, choose)
• -ible (able to be)