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con·ver·sa·tion

(kŏn′vər-sāshən)

1. The exchange of thoughts and feelings by means of speech or sign language: gifted in the art of conversation.

2. An instance of this: held a long conversation on the subject.

con′ver·sation·al adj.

con′ver·sation·al·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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