Word of the Day

: February 12, 2008

collegium

noun kuh-LEG-ee-um

What It Means

: a group in which each member has approximately equal power and authority

collegium in Context

Each paper published by the journal has been approved by a collegium of scientists.

Did You Know?

English contains many words that were borrowed from Latin, either directly or often by way of French, which began to influence the development of English after the Norman Conquest of 1066. "Collegium" is borrowed from Latin as well, but its journey into the English language made an unusual stop at Russian, a Slavic language. Russian borrowed the Latin "collegium" ("society") as "kollegiya," a word used for an advisory board or committee whose members share power. "Kollegiya" entered the English language in 1917, and with gradual modifications it was eventually restored to its original Latin spelling.