forum

fo·rum

noun \ˈfȯr-əm\

plural forums also fo·ra \-ə\

Definition of FORUM

1

a : the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city forming the center of judicial and public business

b : a public meeting place for open discussion

c : a medium (as a newspaper or online service) of open discussion or expression of ideas

2

: a judicial body or assembly : court

3

a : a public meeting or lecture involving audience discussion

b : a program (as on radio or television) involving discussion of a problem usually by several authorities

Examples of FORUM

1. Forums were held to determine how to handle the situation.
2. The town has scheduled a public forum to discuss the proposal.
3. The club provides a forum for people who share an interest in local history.

Origin of FORUM

Latin; akin to Latin foris outside, fores door — more at door

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to FORUM

Synonyms

colloquy, conference, council, panel, panel discussion, parley, powwow, round-robin, roundtable, seminar, symposium

Related Words

colloquium; caucus, town meeting; assembly, conclave, congregation, congress, consistory, convention, convocation, synod; debate, deliberation; brainstorming; chat room, newsgroup

Other Broadcasting Terms

continuity, dissolve, fade, feed, remote, residual, spike, wipe

Rhymes with FORUM

foram, jorum, quorum

forum

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Trajan's Forum, Rome, designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, early 2nd century AD; one of the …—Fototeca Unione, Rome

In ancient Roman cities, a centrally located open area surrounded by public buildings and colonnades and serving as a multipurpose public gathering place. The forum was an adaptation of the Greek agora and acropolis. In Rome the forum Romanum referred to the flat and formerly marshy space between the Palatine and Capitoline hills. In the Roman republic, this was the site of public meetings, law courts, and gladiatorial games and was lined with shops and open-air markets. Under the Roman empire, when the forum evolved into a center for religious and secular ceremonies and spectacles, it held many of Rome's most imposing temples, basilicas, and monuments. New forums were built, some devoted to judicial or administrative affairs and some to trade. The aesthetic harmony of Trajan's Forum (2nd century AD), with its complex of buildings and courtyards and its tiers of shops, influenced many subsequent town planners.