Meaning

verb make a logical or causal connection

verb consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle

originFirst attested in 1471, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English colligat(e) (“bound together”)(adjective), Latin colligātus, perfect passive participle of colligō (“to bind, fasten; to unite, combine”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). By surface analysis, co- + ligate. Sporadic participial usage of the adjective up until the end of the 16ᵗʰ century.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0