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col·lar (kŏlər)
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n.
1.
a. The part of a garment that encircles the neck, especially when raised or folded.
b. See clerical collar.
2. A tight-fitting necklace.
3.
a. A restraining or identifying band of leather, metal, or plastic put around the neck of an animal.
b. The cushioned part of a harness that presses against the shoulders of a draft animal.
4. Biology An encircling structure or bandlike marking, as around the neck of an animal, suggestive of a collar.
5. Any of various ringlike devices used to limit, guide, or secure a machine part.
6. Slang An arrest, as of a criminal.
tr.v. col·lared, col·lar·ing, col·lars
1. To furnish with a collar.
2. Slang
a. To seize or detain.
b. To arrest (a criminal, for example).
[Middle English coler, from Old French colier, from Latin collāre, from collum, neck; see kwel-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
collared adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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