einsammeln

Einsammeln is a German verb meaning to collect, gather, or assemble items or information into a central place or list. It is used for actions that bring scattered items or data together, and it can apply to physical objects as well as abstract data. The verb is separable: Ich sammle Spenden ein; Wir sammeln Unterschriften ein.

Common contexts include environmental cleanup (Müll einsammeln), fundraising or petition drives (Unterschriften einsammeln, Spenden einsammeln), and data collection (Daten einsammeln) or organizing orders. The noun forms das Einsammeln or die Einsammlung denote the process of collecting. In everyday speech, simpler alternatives such as sammeln are often used, but Einsammeln emphasizes the act of gathering items into a defined set or collection.

Etymologically, Einsammeln combines ein- with sammeln, with the prefix ein- highlighting the action of bringing items together into a unit rather than merely accumulating them. Related terms include sammeln (to collect), die Sammlung (collection, curated group), der Sammler (collector), und die Sammelaktion (collection drive). The term is common in both informal contexts, such as community cleanups, and formal contexts, such as administrative or fundraising activities.