symposium

symposium
\ \ [18] A symposium is etymologically a ‘get-together for a drink’. The word comes via Latin symposium from Greek sumpósion, a derivative of sumpótēsdrinking companion’. This was a compound noun formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and the base *pot- ‘drink’ (source of English poison, potion, etc). The Greeks favoured lubricating intellectual discussion with drink, and so the term sumpósion came to be used for a meeting which combined elements of party and intellectual interchange.
\ \ Cf.POISON, POTABLE, POTION

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • symposium — [ sɛ̃pozjɔm ] n. m. • 1951; « banquet » 1876; mot angl. 1711; gr. sumposion « banquet », par allus. au Banquet de Platon ♦ Congrès scientifique réunissant un nombre restreint de spécialistes et traitant un sujet particulier. ⇒ colloque, forum,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • symposium — sym‧po‧si‧um [sɪmˈpəʊziəm ǁ ˈpoʊ ] noun symposiums PLURALFORM or symposia [ ziə] [countable] a formal meeting in which people involved in a particular business or subject discuss it: • London will be the venue for the annual symposium …   Financial and business terms

  • symposium — 1580s, account of a gathering or party, from L. symposium drinking party, symposium, from Gk. symposion convivial gathering of the educated (related to sympotes drinking companion ), from syn together + posis a drinking, from a stem of Aeolic… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Symposium — Sym*po si*um, n.; pl. {Symposia}. [L., fr. Gr. sympo sion a drinking party, feast; sy n with + po sis a drinking. See {Syn }, and cf. {Potable}.] 1. A drinking together; a merry feast. T. Warton. [1913 Webster] 2. A collection of short essays by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • symposium — index assemblage, conference, meeting (conference), panel (discussion group), parley Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • symposium — /sim pɔsjum/ s. neutro lat., usato in ital. al masch., per lo più solo al sing. [incontro durante il quale si discute sui vari aspetti di un tema] ▶◀ congresso, convegno, convention, forum, giornata di studio, simposio. ‖ incontro, meeting, panel …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • Symposium — Sn Symposion …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • symposium — → simposio …   Diccionario panhispánico de dudas

  • symposium — /lat. ʃimˈpɔzjum/ s. m. inv. (lett.) V. simposio …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • symposium — meaning ‘a gathering for discussion’, has the plural form symposia (preferred) or symposiums …   Modern English usage

  • symposium — [n] conference colloquium, convention, discussion, discussion group, forum, gabfest*, huddle, meeting, panel discussion, parley, powwow, rap session, round table, seminar, talk; concepts 56,324,386 …   New thesaurus

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