colloquium

American  

[kuh-loh-kwee-uhm] / kəˈloʊ kwi əm /

noun

plural

colloquiums, colloquia

1. a conference at which scholars or other experts present papers on, analyze, and discuss a specific topic.

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colloquium British  

/ kəˈləʊkwɪəm /

noun

1. an informal gathering for discussion

2. an academic seminar

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Etymology

Origin of colloquium

1600–10; < Latin, equivalent to colloqu ( ī ) ( col- col- ¹ + loquī to speak) + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

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

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

It was October 2017 and they were in Paris for a two-day history-of-medicine colloquium on the subject of the French royal court.

From New York Times • Aug. 27, 2021

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