recollection
Meaning
the act of remembering something; the ability to remember
a memory of something
Structure
Usage
i have no recollection of meeting him before.
the place brought back happy recollections of her childhood.
to the best of my recollection, the event took place in july.
Etymology
the word 'recollection' is built upon the latin verb colligere, meaning 'to gather' or 'collect', which itself is composed of com- (together) and legere (to gather, pick). the prefix re- adds the sense of 'again' or 'back'. thus, the literal action of 'gathering again' or 'bringing back together' was applied metaphorically to the mental process of retrieving memories from the mind. over time, this concrete image evolved into the modern abstract meaning of remembering or the memory itself. the suffix -ion solidified its role as a noun describing this process or its result.
Analysis
re- (Latin, a prefix meaning 'again' or 'back'), collect (from Latin collectus, the past participle of colligere meaning 'to gather'), -ion (Latin, a suffix forming nouns indicating an action or process).