colloquium
noun
col·lo·qui·um
kə-ˈlō-kwē-əm 
plural colloquiums or colloquia
kə-ˈlō-kwē-ə
: a usually academic meeting at which specialists deliver addresses on a topic or on related topics and then answer questions relating to them
… a nine-session scholar-led colloquium to introduce teachers to literary texts by and about minorities …—
Bruce Fraser
Bruce Fraser
Did you know?
A colloquy is a conversation, and especially an important, high-level discussion. Colloquy and colloquium once meant the same thing, though today colloquium always refers to a conference. Because of its old "conversation" meaning, however, a colloquium is a type of conference with important question-and-answer periods.
Examples of colloquium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
McGill’s superbly nuanced calls, runs, and trills elicited commentary from a second audience, perched in the trees above—a colloquium of finches, towhees, titmice, kingbirds, juncos, and Eurasian collared doves.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
The answer, according to a colloquium of leading epidemiologists, microbiologists and climate scientists, is not well enough.
—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Shirley Manson has a special connection with Argentina, particularly with its feminist movements; the singer even participated in a colloquium there in 2019.
—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
19 Mar. 2025
But this did not go down well with some of the colloquium guests.
—
Tania Roettger,
The Dial,
5 Dec. 2024
In 2017 Perlin organized a colloquium on Eunice Foote (an American scientist who, in 1856, was the first to argue that putting greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere could cause climate change).
—
Eugene Linden,
TIME,
21 Apr. 2024
In the math department, there were people running this colloquium series called Math and Social Responsibility — very Berkeley-like.
—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Jan. 2024
In this colloquium, Teddy Tzanetos, JPL’s assembly, test, operations lead and ground support designer will present the project’s inception, its operational goals and capabilities, and what its success may mean for space exploration.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
25 June 2021
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Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
The answer, according to a colloquium of leading epidemiologists, microbiologists and climate scientists, is not well enough.
—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Shirley Manson has a special connection with Argentina, particularly with its feminist movements; the singer even participated in a colloquium there in 2019.
—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
19 Mar. 2025
But this did not go down well with some of the colloquium guests.
—
Tania Roettger,
The Dial,
5 Dec. 2024
In 2017 Perlin organized a colloquium on Eunice Foote (an American scientist who, in 1856, was the first to argue that putting greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere could cause climate change).
—
Eugene Linden,
TIME,
21 Apr. 2024
In the math department, there were people running this colloquium series called Math and Social Responsibility — very Berkeley-like.
—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Jan. 2024
In this colloquium, Teddy Tzanetos, JPL’s assembly, test, operations lead and ground support designer will present the project’s inception, its operational goals and capabilities, and what its success may mean for space exploration.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
25 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“Colloquium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colloquium. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
colloquium
noun
col·lo·qui·um
kə-ˈlō-kwē-əm
: the part of a complaint for defamation in which the plaintiff avers that the defamatory remarks related to him or her
Etymology
Latin, talk, discussion, from colloqui to converse
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