seminar
Word family
- seminariannounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words refer to meetings where people gather to learn or exchange ideas, but they differ in size, structure, and purpose. A 'seminar' is a relatively small meeting (often 10-30 people) led by an expert, with a strong emphasis on group discussion and active participation. A 'conference' is much larger — sometimes hundreds or thousands of attendees — and features multiple parallel sessions, keynote speeches, and a formal schedule; it is more about broad information sharing than in-depth discussion. A 'workshop' is hands-on: participants practice skills or complete tasks under guidance, rather than just listening or discussing. A 'symposium' is an academic event where several experts present short papers on a shared theme, followed by audience questions. For example, you attend a seminar on climate policy to debate ideas with a small group, but you go to a conference to hear keynote speakers and network with professionals from many organisations.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'seminar' comes from the German 'Seminar', which was adopted from the Latin 'seminarium' meaning 'a seed plot' or 'nursery for plants'. The Latin root 'semen' ('seed') also gave us 'seminal' and 'semen'. In the 16th century, 'seminary' meant a place where something is cultivated or bred, especially a school for training priests. By the late 19th century, the shortened form 'seminar' entered English through German universities to describe a small, discussion-based class where knowledge was 'grown' through active debate — a fitting metaphor for the way ideas develop from student interaction.