Collect has 12 different meanings across 4 categories:
a short prayer generally preceding the lesson in the Church of Rome or the Church of England
"The priest began the service by reciting the collect, inviting the congregation to unite their prayers before the Gospel reading."
The prayer said before the reading of the epistle lesson, especially one found in a prayerbook, as with the Book of Common Prayer.
"The priest led the congregation in the collect for the day before beginning to read the Epistle from the Bible."
In plain English: A collect is when someone pays for your phone call instead of you paying.
"The whole family gathered for our annual holiday collect."
Usage: Use "collect" only when referring to specific short prayers read before scripture lessons in formal religious services. Do not use it as a noun for gathering items or money, which requires a verb form instead.
assemble or get together
"gather some stones"
"pull your thoughts together"
To gather together; amass.
"Over the years, she managed to collect a vast array of vintage stamps from collectors around the world."
In plain English: To collect means to gather things together from different places into one spot.
Usage: Use collect when you physically bring separate items into one place or accumulate something over time, such as saving coins in a jar. Do not use it to mean simply receiving mail, which requires the word receive or get.
To be paid for by the recipient, as a telephone call or a shipment.
"The phone rang and I answered to collect the long-distance charge before hanging up on him."
"The old man had a collection of rare stamps on his wall."
Usage: Do not use "collect" as an adjective in modern English; it is an outdated term that should only appear in specific phrases like "collect calls." Instead, describe items or services using standard adjectives such as "paid by the recipient" or simply state that they are free for the receiver.
make a telephone call or mail a package so that the recipient pays
"call collect"
"send a package collect"
With payment due from the recipient.
"The courier left a note saying that I need to collect my package personally because the shipping cost was too high for delivery."
"The team decided to collect together before leaving for the trip."
Usage: Collect used as an adverb means to require payment from the recipient rather than from the sender. It is commonly seen on shipping labels or invoices to indicate that the buyer must pay upon delivery.
The word "collect" comes from the Latin verb colligere, which literally means "to gather together." It is formed by combining com- (meaning "together") and legere (meaning "to gather").