“You shall know a word by the company it keeps” J R Firth (British linguist, 1890-1960) J.R. Firth, a British linguist who died in 1960, is believed to be the father of collocation. It was he that first used the term "collocation" in its linguistic sense. Definitions: to collocate (verb): to appear with another word more frequently than by chance - The word "white" collocates with "coffee". collocation (noun): the combination of two or more words more frequently than by chance - Learning about collocation helps us speak more fluent English. a collocation (noun): an example of collocation - "White coffee" is a collocation. In sum, a collocation is two or more words that often go together. Co - meaning together - location - meaning place. Collocation​s are words that are located together.