colloquy
Americannoun
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a conversational exchange; dialogue.
-
a conference.
noun
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a formal conversation or conference
-
a literary work in dialogue form
-
an informal conference on religious or theological matters
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of colloquy
1555–65; < Latin colloquium colloquium
Explanation
A colloquy is a formal talk, the opposite of a chat, such as the colloquy you have with your boss about a serious matter — far different from how you'll talk to your friends about it afterward. To correctly pronounce colloquy, accent the first syllable: "KOLL uh kwee." The word comes from the Latin prefix com-, meaning "together," and loquium, meaning "speaking." That adds up to "speaking together." You probably recognize loqui, meaning "to speak," in words like locution and colloquial, which also involve speaking.
Vocabulary lists containing colloquy
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 8–13
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 6
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Walden
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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.
See Examples For:
During a colloquy with Grossman, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson displayed her superior grasp on a 1796 precedent narrowing the definition of unconstitutional “direct” taxes.
From Slate ● Dec. 5, 2023
The opening exchange is treated as cross-examination masquerading as comradely colloquy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
“When something was wrong, there was a real colloquy between the court and Congress. The court would say, ‘Hey, this doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.’
From New York Times ● Jul. 2, 2022
“That’s the remedy you have,” Justice Rolando T. Acosta said in a colloquy with Futerfas.
From Washington Post ● May 11, 2022
Plainly skeptical but unwilling to engage in a colloquy with a wheedling Teller, Fermi pleaded that he was too tired from the flight to give him a hearing, much less a commitment.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
You hear it deployed in corporate colloquies, political speeches and school prospectuses as if it were a magic wand.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 21, 2021
Otherwise, these colloquies offered as much insight as your average sideline interview, which is to say little.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2020
Despite a sense of the historical importance – and members’ efforts to dramatize the hearing with outbursts and impassioned colloquies – the mood was subdued.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 12, 2019
“Mike Wallace Is Here” opens with one of its more provocative colloquies, an interchange between the subject and controversial host Bill O’Reilly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2019
Leonard, during these colloquies, had sat apart, seemingly absorbed in reading, and secretly stung by Randal's disregard of his presence.
From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 3, October, 1851 by Various
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.
