the part of a shirt, coat, or dress that fits around or lies flat at the neck
Maya turned up the collar of her coat to keep out the cold wind.
He spilled coffee on his white shirt collar during the meeting.
✦ From Old French coler, from Latin collāre “neckband”, from collum “neck ”.
a band worn around an animal’s neck, often to attach a leash or carry identification
The puppy wagged its tail as Sarah fastened a blue collar around its neck.
Make sure the dog’s collar has an ID tag before we go to the park.
✦ Extension of the clothing sense to things worn by animals, first recorded in Middle English.
to catch or hold someone so they cannot escape, especially to arrest them
The security guard collared the shoplifter before he reached the exit.
They finally collared the pickpocket after a long chase.
✦ Originally ‘put a collar on’, later figuratively ‘seize by the neck’; first used as a verb in the early 17th century.
