symposium

American  

[sim-poh-zee-uhm] / sɪmˈpoʊ zi əm /

noun

plural

symposiums, symposia

1. a meeting or conference for the discussion of some subject, especially a meeting at which several speakers talk on or discuss a topic before an audience.

2. a collection of opinions expressed or articles contributed by several persons on a given subject or topic.

3. an account of a discussion meeting or of the conversation at it.

4. (in ancient Greece and Rome) a convivial meeting, usually following a dinner, for drinking and intellectual conversation.

5. (initial capital letter, italics) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato, dealing with ideal love and the vision of absolute beauty.

---

symposium British  

/ sɪmˈpəʊzɪəm /

noun

1. a conference or meeting for the discussion of some subject, esp an academic topic or social problem

2. a collection of scholarly contributions, usually published together, on a given subject

3. (in classical Greece) a drinking party with intellectual conversation, music, etc

---

Etymology

Origin of symposium

1580–90; < Latin < Greek sympósion drinking party, equivalent to sym- sym- + po- (variant stem of pī́nein to drink) + -sion noun suffix

Example Sentences

In its second section, the novel flashes forward to dramatize an academic symposium organized to honor Thomas after his death.

From The Wall Street Journal

“All the conveyor belts are broken,” said Suzy Welch, a management professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, at a recent symposium on purpose and flourishing.

From The Wall Street Journal

I disagreed with the premise of the symposium and declined.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Atomic Dragons,” wrapping April 4 with a closing-day symposium of nuclear experts, is the work of SWANS, which stands for Slow War Against the Nuclear State.

From Los Angeles Times

The symposium included twelve specialists representing nutrition, food science, dietetics, nutrition metabolism and physiology, cardiovascular and cognitive health, gut health and microbiology, and both preclinical and clinical research models.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• convention
• discussion
• forum
• meeting
• panel discussion
• round table
• seminar