symposium
noun
Did you know?
When you hear the word symposium, you may—quite understandably—envision conferences full of intellectuals giving heady presentations on various arcana. But it was drinking, more than thinking, that drew people to the original symposia and gave us the word. Symposium (symposia or symposiums in plural form) comes from the Greek noun symposion, the word ancient Greeks used for a drinking party that follows a banquet. Symposion in turn comes 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 confabs in which conversation was fueled by drinking. By the end of the 18th century, symposium had gained the more sober sense we know today, referring to meetings in which the focus is more on imbibing ideas and less on imbibing, say, mead.
Examples of symposium in a Sentence
Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2025
The unconventional Santa Monica home includes a small symposium space, a huge home theater, and an ocean-view roof terrace.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 May 2025
As part of the season, Graham will also host a symposium titled Exhibiting Black Cinema, focused on the current challenges in archiving, restoring, and exhibiting Black cinema.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2025
Li was among the Chinese officials who met with several top entrepreneurs last month in a symposium that sought to address the concerns of private companies after President Xi Jinping in February expressed his support for businesses.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for symposium
Cite this Entry
“Symposium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symposium. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
symposium
noun
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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