\Sym*po"si*um\, n.; pl. {Symposia}. [L., fr. Gr.
sympo`sion a drinking party, feast; sy`n with + po`sis a
drinking. See {Syn-}, and cf. {Potable}.]
1. A drinking together; a merry feast. --T. Warton.

2. A collection of short essays by different authors on a
   common topic; -- so called from the appellation given to
   the philosophical dialogue by the Greeks.