symposium
- 01 C1 Advanced
a formal meeting where experts give short talks and discuss a specific subject.
a formal meeting or conference for the discussion of a particular subject, typically featuring multiple speakers and presentations.
Simple“The university is hosting a symposium on climate change next month.”
In context“The international symposium on renewable energy attracted leading researchers from across the globe to discuss recent breakthroughs in battery technology.”
UsageOften takes the preposition 'on' to indicate the subject matter.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a book or journal that contains several articles by different authors about the same topic.
a published collection of essays or papers on a specific subject by several contributors.
Simple“The journal published a symposium of articles regarding the new economic policy.”
In context“The latest issue of the quarterly review features a symposium of five essays exploring the ethical implications of artificial intelligence in healthcare.”
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
a social meeting in Ancient Greece for drinking and intellectual conversation.
a social gathering in Ancient Greece, typically following a banquet, characterised by drinking, music, and philosophical discussion.
Simple“Plato's famous book describes a symposium where guests talk about the nature of love.”
In context“In classical Athens, the symposium served as a vital institution for the transmission of cultural values and the fostering of political alliances among the elite.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is primarily used in historical or literary contexts; modern speakers almost exclusively use the word for academic conferences.
“Indeed, in May, a few months after I met Henrich, he presented new research at a long Covid symposium organized by PolyBio, demonstrating what a chain reaction triggered by viral persistence might look like.”
“The paper suggests that the speech, which will be made on Friday at the annual Jackson Hole symposium, could be a crunch moment for one of Donald Trump's key economic appointees.”
Borrowed from Latin symposium, from Ancient Greek συμπόσιον (sumpósion, “drinking party”) from συμπίνω (sumpínō, “drink together”) συν- (sun-, “together-”) + πίνω (pínō, “drink”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.