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symposiast

symposiast

9.9
A person who speaks or joins a discussion at a formal meeting
  • noun
  • /sɪmˈpoʊziæst/
translation icon : simposista
  • Please address correspondence for Professor Shulman and the other symposiasts to Academic Questions/NAS, 221 Witherspoon Street, Second Floor, Princeton, NJ 08542-3215; editor@nas.org.

Examples

  • During the symposium, each symposiast contributed unique perspectives on the topic.

  • My fellow symposiasts drop three hints.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Symposiasts

    Academic text (1993)
  • The leading symposiast shared innovative ideas during the conference.

  • As an experienced symposiast, she captivated the audience with her insights.

Synonyms

speaker
vssymposiast
478 2.1

A person who gives a talk to an audience

is a symposium participant who also takes part in group discussions
panelist
vssymposiast
138 3.7

A person who takes part in a public discussion and answers questions from the audience

is a symposium participant who gives talks or replies in sessions
presenter
vssymposiast
  • Formal
11 3.2

A person who gives items or announces people at a ceremony

is a symposium participant who primarily takes part in talks and panels
conferee
vssymposiast
  • Formal
5 7.2

A person who takes part in a conference or formal discussion

is a symposium participant focused on speaking or discussing in academic sessions
discussant
vssymposiast
  • Jargon
1 8.0

A person who gives feedback on presentations at a conference

is a symposium participant who both gives talks and joins panels

Surface Forms

symposiast singular
symposiasts plural

Morphology

symposiast = sympos + iast

The word 'symposiast' is derived from 'symposium' but the root 'sympos' is not a standalone English word, making the word opaque for learners.

Etymology

Symposiast comes from the word symposium, which in turn comes from the Greek symposion meaning 'drinking together', because people long ago met to drink and talk in groups. The ending -ist means 'a person who takes part', so a symposiast is someone who joins a symposium to speak or discuss, which explains why it means 'a participant in a meeting'.