1. light meals or refreshments, especially those served informally
2. the action of collecting and combining texts or information from different sources
Usage: academic; formal
3. the process of comparing different versions of a text to identify variations
Usage: scholarly; textual criticism

Examples

• The conference organizers provided light collations during the afternoon break.
• Evening collations were served in the hotel lobby for guests.
• The scholar’s collations of ancient manuscripts revealed several textual variants.
• Her research involved careful collations of historical documents from multiple archives.
• The editor’s collations showed significant differences between the early editions.
• Simple collations of tea and sandwiches were offered after the ceremony.