conference

See also: Conference and conférence

English

Etymology

    From Middle French conférence, from Medieval Latin cōnferentia, from Latin cōnferēns, several steps omitting from con- + ferō.

    Compare parallel Russian собра́ние (sobránije), Russian сбо́рище (sbórišče), akin to с- (s-), со- (so-) + брать (bratʹ), ultimately from the same Indo-European prefix and root. Also compare congress, convention.

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    conference (plural conferences)

    1. The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.
      • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
        Nor with such free and friendly conference / As he hath used of old.
      • 1850, T. S. Arthur, “Seed Time and Harvest”, in Sketches of Life and Character‎[1], Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 129:
        Mr. Wiley, a lawyer of some ability, was sitting in his office one day, when an elderly gentleman came in and asked to have a few words of conference with him.
    2. (obsolete) The act of comparing two or more things together; comparison.
      • [1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):
        helps and furtherances which […] the mutual conference of all men's collections and observations may afford
    3. (politics) A multilateral diplomatic negotiation.
    4. (academia) A formal event where scientists or other scholars present their research results in speeches, workshops, posters or by other means.
    5. (business) An event organized by a for-profit or non-profit organization to discuss a pressing issue, such as a new product, market trend or government regulation, with a range of speakers.
    6. (sports) A group of sports teams that play each other on a regular basis.
    7. (Philippines, sports) A constituent tournament of a sports league in a given season.
    8. (Methodist Church) A stated meeting of preachers and others, invested with authority to take cognizance of ecclesiastical matters.
    9. (Christianity) A voluntary association of Congregational churches of a district; the district in which such churches are.
    10. (chiefly Christianity) A talk or lecture, (Catholicism) especially when given as part of a retreat.
      • 1996, Kenneth R. Guindon, The King's Highway, Ignatius Press, →ISBN, page 114:
        “ […] But I do know of a man who is an expert on the topic. In fact, he gave a conference here in our church not very long ago. […] ”
      • 2000, Phil Kilroy, Madeleine Sophie Barat, 1779-1865: A Life, Paulist Press, →ISBN, page 109:
        She gave a conference each evening during the retreat while Fr Dubas gave two talks during the day.
      • 2011, Frederick Vaughan, Retreat from Manresa: A Jesuit Story, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 25:
        Frank Underhill listened intensely as Father Master began his conference that first evening after prayers in chapel at 7:00 p.m. with an enthusiastic and entertaining account of his own first night in the Society […] .
      • 2019 July 1, “A Vital Sketch of the Divine Revelation in the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers concerning God's Economy with His Chosen and Redeemed People”, in The Ministry of the Word, volume 23, number 07: Crystallization-Study of Numbers (2), Living Stream Ministry:
        When Brother Lee came to the United States, the first conference he gave was in 1962 on the all-inclusive Christ. All the attendees were new ones, yet he did not consider that the all-inclusive Christ was too high for them. No, he gave a conference on the all-inclusive Christ, including all these points from the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
      • 2024, Charles Wright, The Way of the Heart: The Spiritual Experience of André Louf, Liturgical Press, →ISBN, page 268:
        In July 2004 in Finland he gave a conference on the link between prayer and ecology, and in July 2006, speaking to some German deaconesses, he gave an an-yet-unpublished conference on a similar topic titled “Transfiguration as an Icon of the Consecrated Life.”

    Derived terms

    Translations

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    See also

    The Writing-Rich High School Classroom: Engaging Students in ...

    Verb

    conference (third-person singular simple present conferences, present participle conferencing, simple past and past participle conferenced)

    1. (ambitransitive, education) To assess (a student) by one-on-one conversation, rather than an examination.
      • 2009, Jennifer Berne, The Writing-Rich High School Classroom:
        The students who were conferenced on paper 1 will get a written response to paper 2, and those who received a written response to paper 1 will be conferenced on paper 2.
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