subcollection

noun

sub·​col·​lec·​tion ˈsəb-kə-ˌlek-shən 

variants or sub-collection

plural subcollections or sub-collections

: a collection (as of books or artwork) that is part of a larger collection

… so many of her architects' drawings are for furniture designs that she has what constitutes a virtual subcollection of furniture sketches …

—Paul Goldberger

… the thirty-three remaining Renoirs … form the most important subcollection at the museum.

—Patricia R. Ivinski

The collection of the ministry documents covers the period from 1866 to 1922 and consists of 4,598 registers or notebooks. It is classified according to twenty-one subcollections, according to office of origin.

—Yücel Güçlü

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined above