col·lec·tor / kəˈlektər/ • n. a person or thing that collects something, in particular: ∎  a person who collects things of a specified type, professionally or as a hobby: book collectors. ∎  an official who is responsible for collecting money owed to an organization or body: a tax collector. ∎  Electr. the region in a bipolar transistor that absorbs charge carriers.

collector In a freshwater ecosystem, an organism which feeds on small particles (less than 2 mm). Collector–gatherers feed on particles of dead organic matter found on debris and sediments; collector–filterers abstract particles from the flowing water.