symposium

 
Pronunciation: /sɪmˈpəʊzɪəm/

noun (plural symposia /-zɪə/ or symposiums)

  • 1a conference or meeting to discuss a particular subject.
  • a collection of essays or papers on a particular subject by a number of contributors.
  • 2a drinking party or convivial discussion, especially as held in ancient Greece after a banquet (and notable as the title of a work by Plato).

Origin:

late 16th century (denoting a drinking party): via Latin from Greek sumposion, from sumpotēs 'fellow drinker', from sun- 'together' + potēs 'drinker'

Spelling help

The plural of symposium can be spelled either symposia (as in Latin) or symposiums.