Emily Dickinson Lexicon

GATH'ER, v.t. [Sax. gaderian, or gatherian; D. gaderen. I know not whether the first syllable is a prefix or not. The Ch. גדר signifies to inclose, and to gather dates. If the elements are primarily Gd, the word coincides with Ger. gattern, Ch. אגד, to gather, to bind.]

1. To bring together; to collect a number of separate things into one place or into one aggregate body. Gather stones: and they took stones, and made a heap. Gen. xxxi.
2. To get in harvest: to reap or cut and bring into barns or stores. Levit. xxv. 20.
3. To pick up; to glean; to get in small parcels and bring together. Gather out the stones. Is. lxii. He must gather up money by degrees. Locke.
4. To pluck; to collect by cropping, picking, or plucking. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Matth. vii.
5. To assemble; to congregate; to bring persons into one place. Ezek. xxii. 19.
6. To collect in abundance; to accumulate; to amass. I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings. Eccles. ii.
7. To select and take; to separate from others and bring together. Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen. Ps. cvi.
8. To sweep together. The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind. Matth. xiii.
9. To bring into one body or interest. Yet will I gather others to him. Is. lvi.
10. To draw together from a state of expansion or diffusion; to contract. Gathering his flowing robe he seemed to stand, / In act to speak, and graceful stretch'd his hand. Pope.
11. To gain. He gathers ground upon her in the chase. Dryden.
12. To pucker; to plait.
13. To deduce by inference; to collect or learn by reasoning. From what I hear I gather that he was present. After he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the Gospel to them. Acts xvi.
14. To coil as a serpent. To gather breath, to have respite. [Obs.] Spenser.