discussion

American  

[dih-skuhsh-uhn] / dɪˈskʌʃ ən /

noun

1. an act or instance of discussing; consideration or examination by argument, comment, etc., especially to explore solutions; informal debate.

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discussion British  

/ dɪˈskʌʃən /

noun

1. the examination or consideration of a matter in speech or writing

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Other Word Forms

• discussional
  adjective
• prediscussion
  noun
• rediscussion
  noun

Etymology

Origin of discussion

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin discussiōn-, stem of discussiō “inquiry, examination,” Latin: “a shaking,” from discuss(us) “shaken” ( see discuss) + -iō -ion

Explanation

If you're in an ongoing discussion with someone over, say, the best way to train a dog, that means you talk to each other over a long period of time, about all the aspects of dog training. Discussion comes from the Latin for "examination by taking things apart," and when you're having a discussion with someone on a complicated topic, it's like you're taking it apart and trying to understand it. Usually in a discussion, people exchange ideas. If you say, "I adore bananas," and your friend says, "me too," that's hardly a discussion. But if your friend says, "bananas are disgusting," then you can get into a discussion about it.

Related Words

• analysis
• argument
• conference
• consideration
• consultation
• controversy
• conversation
• debate
• deliberation
• dialogue
• discourse
• dispute
• examination
• exchange
• interview
• meeting
• review
• scrutiny
• symposium
• wrangling