round table
- a number of persons gathered together for conference, discussion of some subject, etc., and often seated at a round table.
- the discussion, topic of discussion, or the conference itself.
- (initial capital letter) Arthurian Romance.
- the table, made round to avoid quarrels as to precedence, about which King Arthur and his knights sat.
- King Arthur and his knights.
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Also round·ta·ble (for defs 1, 2).
Origin of round table
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300
round-table
[round-tey-buh l]
- noting or pertaining to a conference, discussion, or deliberation in which each participant has equal status, equal time to present views, etc.: round-table discussions.
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Origin of round-table
First recorded in 1820–30
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for roundtable
Contemporary Examples
She serves as the primary substitute for George Stephanopoulos on This Week and contributes regularly to the roundtable.
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When the small deal finally came, the Roundtable issued a sad-face note.
Watch the actor gush over the vice president on Beast TV's live DNC roundtable.
Rush was holding a roundtable to discuss recruiting, financial compensation for athletes, and scholarship terms.
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At our roundtable, she explained the logic behind that decision.
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round table
- a meeting of parties or people on equal terms for discussion
- (as modifier)a round-table conference
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Round Table
- (in Arthurian legend) the table of King Arthur, shaped so that his knights could sit around it without any having precedence
- Arthur and his knights collectively
- one of an organization of clubs of young business and professional men who meet in order to further social and business activities and charitable work
- (in New Zealand) an organization of businessmen supporting policies of the New Right
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for roundtable
round-table
n.
also roundtable, 1826 in reference to a gathering of persons in which all are accorded equal status (there being no head of a round table.) King Arthur's Round Table is attested from c.1300, translating Old French table ronde (1155, in Wace's Roman de Brut).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper