English
symposium
Symposium comes from Ancient Greek συμπόσιον ‘drinking party’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *peh₃-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₃-‘to drink’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπίνωpínō‘drink’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσυμπίνωsumpínō‘drink together’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσυμπόσιονsumpósion‘drinking party’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsymposium
- Englishearliest quotation 1960symposium
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₃-‘to drink’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπίνωpínō‘drink’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσυμπίνωsumpínō‘drink together’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσυμπόσιονsumpósion‘drinking party’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsymposium
- Englishearliest quotation 1960symposium
Earliest quotation: 1960, New reading on railways: “THE CONCISE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF WORLD RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVES. Edited by…”
The story
Morphologically compare compotation.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peh₃- ‘to drink’
Today it means
noun A conference or other meeting for discussion of a topic, especially one in which the participants make presentations.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peh₃- / symposium