/ ˈfɔːrəm; NAmE / noun
1.
forum (for sth) a place where people can exchange opinions and ideas on a particular issue; a meeting organized for this purpose :
Television is now an important forum for political debate.
an Internet forum
to hold an international forum on drug abuse
2.
(in ancient Rome) a public place where meetings were held
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in sense 2): from Latin , literally what is out of doors , originally denoting an enclosure surrounding a house; related to fores (outside) door. Sense 1 dates from the mid 18th cent.