noun pl. symposiums -·si·ums or symposia -·sia (-ə)

1. in ancient Greece, a drinking party at which there was intellectual conversation
2. any meeting or social gathering at which ideas are freely exchanged
3. a conference organized for the discussion of some particular subject
4. a collection of opinions, esp. a published group of essays, on a given subject

Etymology: L < Gr symposion < syn-, together + posis, a drinking < IE base *pō-, to drink > L potio