gathering

1. (bookbinding) A section, a group of bifolios, or sheets of paper, stacked together and folded in half.Examples: "This gathering machine forms the backbone of a bookbinding operation."

2. (uncountable) The collection of produce, items, goods, etc.; the practice of collecting food from nature.Examples: "The Neolithic culture from 8000 to 6000 B.C., however, was a brilliant period of the revival of crafts, the transformation of gathering into gardening, the growth of a cross-cultural obsidian trade, and the rise of towns."uncountable

3. (medicine) A tumor or boil suppurated or maturated; an abscess.