symposium

noun

sym·​po·​sium sim-ˈpō-zē-əm How to pronounce symposium (audio)
 also  -zh(ē-)əm
plural symposia sim-ˈpō-zē-ə How to pronounce symposium (audio)
-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

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.

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 Tickets for the symposium at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre are $175 ($150 for members, $50 for students). Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 The symposium is an event celebrating the power of women to transform communities and industries through building professional skills, networking, opening conversations and creating a collaborative movement to bring professionals together. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2024 Since 2002, the symposium has generated more than $4.8 million for scholarships, fellowships and other educational opportunities in the San Diego-Baja region. Dean Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Looming in the symposium’s background was the United States’ technological race against China, which has growing echoes of the Cold War. Eva Dou, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 To cap it off, Frey is the subject of a Modernism Week symposium that will be conducted by the four aforementioned experts. Pauline O'Connor, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024 Instead of a symposium, Breitz and several others organized a protest. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2023 The theory rose to prominence in 1968, when anthropologists Richard B. Lee and Irven DeVore published Man the Hunter, an edited collection of scholarly papers presented at a 1966 symposium on contemporary hunter-gatherer societies. Cara Ocobock, Scientific American, 19 Oct. 2023 That same month a symposium on the work of Black filmmaker Skip Norman organized by the German Film Office at the Goethe Institute in New York City was canceled after a Strike Germany protest disrupted the event. Ed Meza, Variety, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'symposium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of symposium was in 1711

Dictionary Entries Near symposium

Cite this Entry

“Symposium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symposium. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

symposium

noun
sym·​po·​sium sim-ˈpō-zē-əm How to pronounce symposium (audio)
 also  -zh(ē-)əm
plural symposia -zē-ə How to pronounce symposium (audio)
-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

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