raccogliere

Raccogliere is an Italian verb meaning to bring together, to gather or to collect. It can refer to physical objects, such as fruit or items found on the ground, as well as to abstract things like data, evidence, or ideas. The sense often implies assembling disparate parts into a larger whole or recovering something that was dispersed.

Common meanings include:

- to gather or harvest crops or produce, as in raccogliere le mele (to harvest apples).

- to pick up or retrieve objects, for example raccogliere una palla from the floor.

- to collect or accumulate things, such as raccogliere dati, prove, testimonianze, or opinioni.

- to gather strength or resolve, as in raccogliere le forze before a difficult task.

Conjugation and usage notes:

Raccogliere is a regular -ere verb with a distinctive spelling in the present tense to preserve the hard k sound: raccolgo, raccogli, raccoglie, raccogliamo, raccogliete, raccolgono. Other tenses follow standard -ere endings, with forms like ho raccolto (passato prossimo) for the past participle. The gerund is raccogliendo, and the past participle is raccolto. The verb can be used transitively with a direct object (raccogliere dati), and it also appears in idiomatic expressions such as raccogliere le forze or raccogliere i frutti of one’s labor.

Related forms:

The noun raccoglimento denotes the act of gathering or the state of being collected; the adjective raccogliente describes something that collects or gathers, often in a figurative sense.

Etymology:

The term derives from a Latin root related to gathering or bringing together, with the prefix re- and the sense of collecting or assembling things anew.