Colloquium

/kəˈloʊkwiəm/ noun

Definition

A formal meeting or conference where a group of people discuss a specific topic; or a serious conversation between two or more people.

Etymology

From Latin colloquium, compound of col- (together) + loqui (to speak). The term entered English in the 16th century from academic and scholarly contexts, initially referring to dialogues in religious and philosophical texts.

Kelly Says

Universities call their seminars 'colloquia' to make them sound more intellectual, which is kind of amusing because the word literally just means 'talking together'—but that formality signals 'serious talking together,' which changes everything about how people prepare and participate.

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