videoconference
Meaning
A meeting in which people in different locations can see and hear each other using video and audio technology.
Structure
Usage
The board members held a weekly videoconference to update each other on regional progress.
Due to travel restrictions, the interview was conducted as a videoconference.
The software allows users to host a videoconference with up to 100 participants.
Etymology
The word 'videoconference' is a modern compound, a portmanteau of two established English words. The first element, 'video', originates from the Latin verb 'vidēre', meaning 'to see', which evolved into a prefix denoting visual technology. The second element, 'conference', derives from the Latin 'conferre', meaning 'to bring together' or 'to compare', via Medieval Latin 'conferentia' (a bringing together). The compound, emerging in the late 20th century, logically combines these concepts: a 'conference' (a meeting of people) facilitated by 'video' (sight) technology, enabling participants separated by distance to see and hear each other as if gathered in one room.
Analysis
- video: From Latin 'vidēre' (to see). In modern English, a combining form meaning relating to the recording, transmitting, or reproducing of visual images. - conference: From Latin 'conferre' (to bring together, compare). In English, a noun-forming element meaning a formal meeting for discussion.