Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A conversation, especially a formal one.
  • noun A written dialogue.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A conversation; especially, a conversation which is of the nature of a discussion or conference.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Mutual discourse of two or more persons; conference; conversation.
  • noun In some American colleges, a part in exhibitions, assigned for a certain scholarship rank; a designation of rank in collegiate scholarship.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun law A discussion during a trial in which a judge ensures that the defendant understands what is taking place in the trial and what their rights are.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun formal conversation
  • noun a conversation especially a formal one

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin colloquium, conversation; see colloquium.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin colloquium ("conversation"), from com- ("together, with") (English com-) + form of loquor ("speak") (from which English locution and other words).

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Examples

  • "This colloquy is critical to the government's legislative history argument, and it's entirely manufactured and misrepresented to the court as having occurred live on the Senate floor before a crucial vote," Remes said.

    Manufacturing Legislative History 2006

  • David H. Remes, a Washington lawyer who has helped Hamdan's defense team, called the colloquy "outrageous."

    Manufacturing Legislative History 2006

  • Let us recall the colloquy following a television debate between Nation editor David Corn and Richard Perle.

    Dear Cindy, « BuzzMachine 2005

  • But just as she was getting quiet again, came the tread of Mrs. Nettley's foot behind her, and Elizabeth knew another colloquy was at hand.

    The Hills of the Shatemuc 1856

  • A colloquy is a public conversation on the Senate floor that often is used to ratify a deal struck in private. advertisement

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com 2009

  • The inserted floor debate, known in Senate parlance as a "colloquy," has since become an intriguing side issue in the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's former driver, whose case was at issue before the court yesterday.

    Manufacturing Legislative History 2006

  • Well played, although does the average person have any idea what the world "colloquy" means?

    Hullabaloo 2008

  • As for the disagreement between him and Sen. John McCain about the future of the country, Obama again took the high road, insisting he was not interested in having a "colloquy" with the Arizona senator over the next four or five days about the issue because it was not in the best interests of the country.

    Hullabaloo 2008

  • I guess the best way ta put it is to say that religions and people active with organized religion today have only one responsibility before they can engage in the kind of colloquy you desire with the greater society…clean up your religious act, fight and win the battle with the pseudoreligious businesses and political machines to define youselves.

    Firedoglake » Rumsfeld on the Spit 2006

  • Disposed to talk, she lingered as long as possible, but Harvey Munden had no leanings to this kind of colloquy; when the girl took herself off, he drew a breath of satisfaction, and smiled the smile of an intellectual man who has outlived youthful follies.

    The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories George Gissing 1880

Comments

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  • "They were deluxe magazines with a flowery, nouveau aesthetic and pages that looked illuminated, with illustrated margins and colorful Pre-Raphaelite images of pallid damsels in colloquy with knights of the Holy Grail." p 104

    November 24, 2007

  • Is it something like a shrubbery?

    November 24, 2007

  • "'No,' he said. We were still keeping our voices down, but I could see from the sideways glances we were getting that our intense colloquy was attracting attention."-Dead as a Doornail, by Charlaine Harris

    May 19, 2011