From Middle French conférence, from Medieval Latin cōnferentia, from Latin cōnferēns.

• (RP) IPA: /ˈkɒnf(ə)ɹəns/
• (America) IPA: /ˈkɑnf(ə)ɹəns/, [ˈkʰɑɱ.fɹəns], [ˈkʰɑɱ.fɹn̩s]

conference (plural conferences)

1. The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.
   • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene ii]:

     Nor with such free and friendly conference / As he hath used of old.

2. (politics) A multilateral diplomatic negotiation.
3. (science) A formal event where scientists present their research results in speeches, workshops, posters or by other means.
4. (business) An event organized by a for-profit or non-profit organization to discuss a pressing issue, such as a new product, market trend or government regulation, with a range of speakers.
5. (sports) A group of sports teams that play each other on a regular basis.
6. (Philippines, sports) A constituent tournament of a sports league in a given season.
7. (obsolete) The act of comparing two or more things together; comparison.
   • 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC ↗, (please specify the page):

     helps and furtherances which […] the mutual conference of all men's collections and observations may afford

8. (Methodist Church) A stated meeting of preachers and others, invested with authority to take cognizance of ecclesiastical matters.
9. A voluntary association of Congregational churches of a district; the district in which such churches are.

• French: conférence
• German: Konferenz, Tagung
• Italian: conferenza
• Portuguese: conferência
• Russian: конфере́нция
• Spanish: conferencia

conference (conferences, present participle conferencing; simple past and past participle conferenced)

1. (ambitransitive, education) To assess (a student) by one-on-one conversation, rather than an examination.
   • 2009, Jennifer Berne, The Writing-Rich High School Classroom:

     The students who were conferenced on paper 1 will get a written response to paper 2, and those who received a written response to paper 1 will be conferenced on paper 2.

After the National British Pear Conference in London in 1885, at which this cultivar won the first prize.

conference (plural conferences)

1. An autumn cultivar of the European pear Pyrus communis.