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chosen, and commissioned to represent others, as in a convention, in Congress, etc.; the collective body of delegates; as, the delegation from Massachusetts; a deputation.

Collectively, the people, regarded as the source of government. Milton.

Used as a symbol of the holder of a distaff; hence, a woman; women, collectively. His crown usurped, a distaff on the throne. Dryden. Some say the crozier, some say the distaff was too busy. Howell.

Expressing separation; denoting a taking singly, not collectively; as, a distributive adjective or pronoun, such as each, either, every; a distributive numeral, as (Latin) bini (two by two). Distributive operation (Math.), any operation which either consists of two or more parts, or works upon two or more things, and w…

By distribution; singly; not collectively; in a distributive manner.

Office of an elder; collectively, a body of elders.

A body emigrants; emigrants collectively; as, the German emigration.

Collectively, the people of England; English people or persons.

Surroundings; specif., collectively, one's attendants or associates.

A collective name for reviews, magazines, and all kinds of periodical literature. Brande & C.

The collective body of bishops.

Whatever is used in equipping; necessaries for an expedition or voyage; the collective designation for the articles comprising an outfit; equipage; as, a railroad equipment (locomotives, cars, etc. ; for carrying on business); horse equipments; infantry equipments; naval equipments; laboratory equipments. Armed and dig…

The science of the formation of character, national and collective as well as individual. J. S. Mill.

ood fortune; good luck. Now fair befall thee ! Shak. The fair, anything beautiful; women, collectively. "For slander's mark was ever yet the fair." Shak.

The collective body of persons who live in one house, and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children, and servants, and, as the case may be, lodgers or boarders.

t and cultivate any peculiar taste or fancy; hence, especially, sporting characters taken collectively, or any specific class of them, as jockeys, gamblers, prize fighters, etc. At a great book sale in London, which had congregated all the fancy. De Quincey.

An inhabitant, or, collectively, inhabitants, of the Faroe islands.

chief esslesiastical authorities of the first centuries after Christ; -- often spoken of collectively as the Fathers; as, the Latin, Greek, or apostolic Fathers.

A citizen of Ferrara; collectively, the inhabitants of Ferrara.

A collective term for all the competitors in any outdoor contest or trial, or for all except the favorites in the betting.