1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Symposium

SYMPOSIUM (Gr. συμπόσιον, a drinking party, from συμπίνειν, to drink together, σύν, with, and πίνειν, to drink, root πο, cf. Lat. potare, to drink, poculum, cup), the convivial drinking which took place alter a great banquet, accompanied by intellectual or witty conversation, and by music or dancing performed by slaves or attendants. The term has been applied in modern usage, due to Plato's Symposium, to a collection of opinions of different writers on a given subject.