noun, suffix
collecting; gathering; assembling
Used as a noun or suffix to indicate the act of collecting or gathering something. Often appears in compound nouns like 切手集め (stamp collecting) or 情報集め (information gathering).
彼の趣味は切手集めです。
His hobby is stamp collecting.
資料集めに時間がかかった。
It took time to gather the materials.
収集 is a more formal noun for 'collection' or 'gathering', often used in official or systematic contexts, while 集め is a more casual, everyday term.
集める is the transitive verb 'to collect', whereas 集め is the noun form derived from its stem, used in compounds or as a standalone noun.
Derived from the verb 集める (atsumeru, 'to collect'), using its continuative form (連用形) as a noun. The kanji 集 means 'gather' or 'collect'.