I'm looking for a pair of words that essentially means "super-collection" and "collection" where the super-collection contains a set of collections. (Alternatively, could be thought of as a "collection" which contains a set of "sub-collections".) I want the words to NOT use either "super" or "sub". I'm open to general English or jargon from specific domains.
Example usage:
Ok, we've got five _<collections>_ – let's group them together into a _<super-collection>_.
This question asks for abstract collective nouns that have an intuitive hierarchy, with one word each for what in mathematics would be called a "set" and "set of sets."
Approach 1: Use a collective noun with a suffix for the second "set of sets" term in order to emphasize the higher-order act of bringing-together.
Approach 2: Use a more specific collective noun for the set, and a more general for the set of sets. The question is carefully phrased to avoid the domain of the set items / objects, however if there is a domain then this would be a good strategy.
Lot
let's group them together into a lot
Definition:
Noun, informal
a particular group, collection, or set of people or things
For some reason, your question reminds me of how Russell and Whitehead defined "number". As I remember it, a "number" is "the class of all classes equivalent to the given class".
I see no reason you can't use collection to characterize a set of smaller collections.
Dictionary.com:
collection: something that is collected
If the "something that is collected" is a collection, the result remains a collection.
Your example:
Ok, we've got 5 collections -- let's group them together into a collection.
Since you are open to language from specific domains how about clan or tribe?
Ok, we've got five families – let's group them together into a clan or tribe.
What about using parent & child
"Ok, we've got 5 children -- let's group them together into a parent."
While this is a suffix, not a word, you could look in to using -ana to form the word you want. Depending on the nature of the collections, you might be able to use the suffix -ana to make a word that describes the larger collection. Dictionary.com's definition for the suffix is
a suffix that forms collective nouns denoting an assembly of items, as household objects, art, books, or maps, or a description of such items, as a bibliography, all of which are representative of or associated with the place, person, or period named by the stem: Americana; Shakespeareana; Victoriana.
Using the suffix along with the person/place/etc. that is the topic of each collection could, depending on the context, make a specific word for a specific situation, but doesn't make a general word to describe a collection of collections.
