symposium
[ sim-poh-zee-uh m ]
/ sɪmˈpoʊ zi əm /
noun, plural sym·po·si·ums, sym·po·si·a [sim-poh-zee-uh] /sɪmˈpoʊ zi ə/.
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.
a collection of opinions expressed or articles contributed by several persons on a given subject or topic.
an account of a discussion meeting or of the conversation at it.
(in ancient Greece and Rome) a convivial meeting, usually following a dinner, for drinking and intellectual conversation.
(initial capital letter, italics)
a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato, dealing with ideal love and the vision of absolute beauty.
Origin of symposium
1580–90; < Latin < Greek
sympósion drinking party, equivalent to
sym-
sym- +
po- (variant stem of
pī́nein to drink) +
-sion noun suffix
Words nearby symposium
sympodium,
symport,
symposiac,
symposiarch,
symposiast,
symposium,
symptom,
symptom complex,
symptom formation,
symptomatic,
symptomatic anthrax
Example sentences from the Web for symposium
British Dictionary definitions for symposium
symposium
/ (sɪmˈpəʊzɪəm) /
noun plural -siums or -sia (-zɪə)
a conference or meeting for the discussion of some subject, esp an academic topic or social problem
a collection of scholarly contributions, usually published together, on a given subject
(in classical Greece) a drinking party with intellectual conversation, music, etc
Word Origin for symposium
C16: via Latin from Greek
sumposion, from
sumpinein to drink together, from
sum-
syn- +
pinein to drink