symposium

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The Word of the Day for December 5 is:

symposium   \sim-POH-zee-um\   noun 
    *1 : a social gathering at which there is free interchange of ideas 
     2 a : a formal meeting at which several specialists deliver short 
addresses on a topic or on related topics  b : a collection of opinions on a 
subject; especially : one published by a periodical 
     3 : discussion

Example sentence:
     The symposium gave Eduardo and other writers the chance to listen to and 
share new ideas about literature.

Did you know?
     It was drinking more than thinking that drew people to the original 
symposia and that gave us the word "symposium." The ancient Greeks would often 
follow a banquet with a drinking party they called a "symposion." That name 
came 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 gatherings in which 
intellectual conversation was fueled by drinking. By the 19th century, 
"symposium" had gained the more sober sense we know today, describing meetings 
in which the focus is more on the exchange of ideas and less on imbibing.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.






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