symposium [sɪmˈpəʊzɪəm] (pl. symposia -zɪə 或 symposiums)
a conference or meeting to discuss a particular subject 讨论会 ■a collection of essays or papers on a particular subject by a number of contributors (很多作者就某一专题所撰写的)专题论文集 ■a drinking party or convivial discussion, especially as held in ancient Greece after a banquet (and notable as the title of a work by Plato) (尤指古希腊在宴会后举行的)酒会(因与柏拉图一作品同名而著名)
语源
late 16th cent. (denoting a drinking party): via Latin from Greek sumposion, from sumpotēs 'fellow drinker', from sun- 'together' + potēs 'drinker'