Congregare

Congregare is a Latin verb meaning to bring together, assemble, or gather. It is formed from con- “together” and greg- “flock,” from the noun grex, gregis. The principal parts are congrego, congregare, congregavi, congregatum, indicating a first-conjugation verb. In the active voice, present forms include congrego “I gather,” congregas “you gather,” congregat “he/she/it gathers”; the imperfect is congregabam; the future congregabo; the perfect congregavi; the supine congregatum. The present passive is congregor, and the passive infinitive is congregari. The verb governs a direct object in the accusative, as in congregare populum “to gather the people,” and may take prepositional phrases to indicate place or purpose, e.g., congregare in castra “to gather the troops in the camp” or congregare ad colloquium “to assemble for a meeting.”

Usage and nuance: The sense ranges from physically assembling people or things to forming a group or body, and to collecting or amassing resources or data. It is common in Classical and Medieval Latin. In ecclesiastical Latin, the related noun congregatio “assembly, congregation” denotes a formal body; the phrase Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei is an example from the Roman Curia.

Derivative and cognates: English words such as congregate and congregation derive from this verb. The root greg- also yields related terms in other Romance languages and in English derivatives like gregarious, reflecting the idea of a herd or crowd gathered together.