colloquium
Americannoun
plural
colloquiums, colloquianoun
-
an informal gathering for discussion
-
an academic seminar
Etymology
Origin of colloquium
1600–10; < Latin, equivalent to colloqu ( ī ) ( col- col- 1 + loquī to speak) + -ium -ium
Explanation
A colloquium is an academic conference or meeting. At a colloquium, you’ll spend a couple of days listening to lectures with a group of people who all know a lot about one particular subject. The root of colloquium is the Latin loqui, meaning “to talk, ” which is what people tend to do at a conference. If you’re attending a colloquium on hummingbirds, you’re going to meet a lot of biologists who talk about hummingbirds. If you’re giving a lecture at the same colloquium, you’d better hope you know a lot about hummingbirds or you might get run out of the conference!
Vocabulary lists containing colloquium
When We Were Infinite
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co-, col-, List 2
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co, col (with; together), List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The first recorded Scottish Parliament in 1235 was known as a colloquium, a place of conversation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
“A new role we will see is chief longevity officer,” Waterhouse said at a colloquium on work and wellness for older people organized by the University of Maine’s Center on Aging.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 12, 2025
Ms. Rosenbury defended counting guest speakers as part-time faculty, saying it fell within A.B.A. standards because they were “practicing lawyers, judges and colloquium speakers” whose participation was integral to courses.
From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2024
Abu Sitta had been invited by France’s left-wing Ecologists group in the Senate to speak at a colloquium Saturday about the situation in Gaza, according to the Senate press service.
From Seattle Times • May 5, 2024
The give-and-take of scientific discussion was fostered by another Lawrence innovation: the Journal Club, a weekly colloquium to which all the Rad Lab staff and visitors from other departments were invited.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
