What’s the plural of “colloquium”?
The plural of colloquium (pronounced koll-o-kwee-um) is colloquia or colloquiums. Colloquium is a singular noun (sing. n.) with two accepted plural forms. That said, any Latin purists should keep to the original plural, colloquia. Otherwise, colloquia or colloquiums are both correct plurals of colloquium (though it’s probably best to stick to one pl. n. form than alternate between the two).
There were several interesting colloquia scheduled for the conference. (Uses an accepted plural form)
The university hosts many colloquiums throughout the academic year. (Uses an accepted plural form)
The graduate students attended three stimulating colloquium. (Uses the singular form when a plural is required)
The colloquia was held in the main hall. (Incorrect verb agreement with the plural subject)
What does “colloquium” mean?
Dictionary.com defines the Latin noun colloquium as a “conference at which scholars or other experts present papers on, analyze, and discuss a specific topic”. Students of philosophy at a graduate level, or any graduate students should be familiar with the term colloquium. Apart from academics or the university setting, the word colloquium is not the most colloquial word choice around, despite the actual meaning of this similarly-rooted adjective …
Fun factoids
Colloquium may not sound familiar, but there are other words in English that are clearly offshoots of the Latin noun, colloquium. The adjective loquacious, though also no longer in popular use, derives from the same Latin roots as colloquium and describes someone as ‘talkative’.
See words like colleague, collect, colloquy are all rooted in the Latin coll-, or com-, meaning “with, together,”. Loquacious, the adjective just mentioned, comes from the Latin loqui, “to speak” (though the verb is suspected to have PIE roots).
Colloquium‘s original Latin is made of coll– (parts coming together) + loqui (to talk). Colloquy, another relatively obsolete word in English meaning dialogue, or conversation; colloquial “colloquial expressions” as in commonly used, or conversational—each of these English words are derivatives of the original Latin form.
Other Latin nouns
| singular | plural |
|---|---|
| colloquium | colloquia or colloquiums |
| referendum | referenda or referendums |
| memorandum | memoranda or memorandums |
| curriculum | curricula or curriculums |
| addendum | addenda or addendums |
| symposium | symposia or symposiums |
The plural of “colloquium,” associate it with “stadium” and “aquarium”—similar-sounding words with irregular plurals (“stadia,” “aquaria”). Then, remember that “colloquia” is the more formal plural.
Examples of “colloquium” in sentences
1. Guillermo del Toro and Thierry Fremaux on Wednesday resumed their colloquium on the future of cinema with leading filmmakers. Patrick Frater, Variety, 25 May 2022
2. A nine-session scholar-led colloquium to introduce teachers to literary texts by and about minorities. Bruce Fraser.
3. In addition to Cage, cut-up writer William Burroughs, experimental playwright Richard Foreman and underground filmmaker Jack Smith all attended the colloquium. Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2021
4. He was permitted to return to CWRU in 2009 for a colloquium. Karen Farkas, cleveland.com, 26 Feb. 2018
5. The citizen’s forum is organizing colloquium on the seven critical areas.
Examples of colloquia/colloquiums used in application
1. And his popular works, the Adagia, and the Colloquia (1524), had established themselves as standard books in the more easy going age,
2. These have included regular work-in-progress seminars, weekly post-graduate seminars, and over twenty colloquia and symposia.
3. In addition to meals (see below) there are musical evenings, wine tastings, college seminars and a student Colloquia series.
4. The Letters of Cicero are thoroughly natural – colloquia absentium amicorum, to use his own phrase.
5. For the same purpose his Colloquia may be consulted.
Synonyms of colloquium
- seminar
- symposium
- conference
- lecture
- panel
Origin of the word colloquium
From etymology online on colloquium (n.):
1580s, “c. 1600, “conversation, dialogue” (a sense now obsolete), from Latin colloquium “conference, conversation,” literally “a speaking together”.
What’s the difference between they’re, their, and there?
Sources
- Definition of colloquium.
- Sentences using colloquium.
- Origin of colloquium.
Work Sheet
According to the blog post, what are the two accepted plural forms of “colloquium”?
Which plural form of “colloquium” is preferred by Latin purists?
Based on the blog post, is “colloquium” primarily used as a singular or plural noun?
According to the post, which of these is an incorrect usage of “colloquium”?
Which statement about the plural of “colloquium” is true, based on the blog post?
The professor announced that only one would be held this week.
There were multiple stimulating scheduled throughout the day.
The department hosts several on current research topics each month.
Using the incorrect verb agreement, “The was held in the main hall,” is mentioned as a common mistake in the post.
Students interested in the topic should attend the tomorrow afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the plural forms of colloquium?
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Which plural form of colloquium is more formal?
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What does the word colloquium mean?
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What are common mistakes using colloquium?
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Are there words related to colloquium?
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Yash, D. "What’s the Plural of Colloquium?." Grammarflex, Jun 2, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-plural-of-colloquium/.
