symposium

noun

sym·​po·​sium sim-ˈpō-zē-əm 

 also  -zh(ē-)əm

plural symposia sim-ˈpō-zē-ə 

-zh(ē-)ə

or symposiums

1

a

: a convivial party (as after a banquet in ancient Greece) with music and conversation

b

: a social gathering at which there is free interchange of ideas

2

a

: a formal meeting at which several specialists deliver short addresses on a topic or on related topics compare colloquium

b

: a collection of opinions on a subject

especially : one published by a periodical

c

: discussion

Did you know?

It was drinking more than thinking that drew people to the original symposia and that gave us the word symposium. The ancient Greeks would often follow a banquet with a drinking party they called a symposion. That name came from sympinein, a verb that combines pinein, meaning "to drink," with the prefix syn-, meaning "together." Originally, English speakers only used symposium to refer to such an ancient Greek party, but in the 18th century British gentlemen's clubs started using the word for gatherings in which intellectual conversation was fueled by drinking. By the end of the 18th century, symposium had gained the more sober sense we know today, describing meetings in which the focus is more on the exchange of ideas and less on imbibing.

Synonyms

• colloquy
• conference
• council
• forum
• panel
• panel discussion
• parley
• round-robin
• roundtable
• seminar

Examples of symposium in a Sentence

Professors and graduate students attended the symposium.

recently attended a daylong symposium on new methods of chromatography

Recent Examples on the Web

Now in its 46th year, the Charing Cross International Symposium (CX), which first took place in 1978 at Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith, London, and has gone on to become the leading global vascular symposium, expects to welcome an audience of over 4,000 attendees. —Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024

Logan’s mom went to the symposium to get inspiration for her foundation, The Pursuit of HAPPYmess, previously known as Team Logan, which helps raise money for pediatric cancer patients. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024

The symposium brought Baldwin, attorneys from the case and other education leaders together, who spoke about the impact of the judge's decision and the broader treatment of Black students in reading instruction. —Lily Altavena, Detroit Free Press, 25 Mar. 2024

Two days before the symposium, a man was killed in a shooting at a home on Mersington Avenue, marking Kansas City’s 26th homicide of 2024. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024

But a 2022 Live Like Bella symposium helped bring Azzam and Logan’s mother, Diana Jenner, together. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024

At the symposium, researchers shared a flurry of fascinating new findings revealed by these new methods that demonstrate their evolving understanding of the cerebellum. —R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 31 Mar. 2024

Speakers at the symposium discussed data points tracking back to at least 2010, showing a fluctuation in homicide rates, but an overall increase in the last 13 years. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024

That system is still undergoing testing, Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, director of the Navy’s Surface Warfare Division, said at a January symposium, according to Breaking Defense. —Brad Lendon, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek symposion, from sympinein to drink together, from syn- + pinein to drink — more at potable

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

symposium

noun

sym·​po·​sium sim-ˈpō-zē-əm 

 also  -zh(ē-)əm

plural symposia -zē-ə 

-zh(ē-)ə

or symposiums

1

: a group meeting at which there are several speeches and often a group discussion

2

: a collection of opinions on a subject

Etymology

from earlier symposium "a social gathering at which there is a free exchange of ideas," from Latin symposium "a party with much drinking and conversation," derived from Greek sympinein "to drink together," from syn- "together with" and pinein "to drink" — related to synonymous