ˈfōrəm, ˈfȯr- noun
( plural forums -mz ; also fo·ra -rə)
Etymology: Latin; akin to Latin foris, foras outside, foris, fores door — more at door
1. : the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city consisting of an open place or square surrounded by shops or in later times by public buildings or ornamental structures (as colonnades) and forming the center of judicial and public business
2. : a judicial body or assembly : court , tribunal
in the forum of one's own conscience
often : the particular court before which a case can be or is being tried
3.
a. : an organization that holds public meetings for the discussion of subjects of current interest
b. : a meeting that is held by such an organization and is frequently in the form of a question period following a lecture ; broadly : a lecture followed by audience discussion and questioning of the lecturer
c. : a program (as on radio or television) involving discussion of a problem usually by several authorities under the supervision of a chairman or moderator and usually providing no means of audience participation
4.
a. : a public meeting place for open discussion
this busy intersection had been the town's forum for generations
b. : a medium of open discussion
aims of the publication are … to act as a forum in which controversial issues … can be discussed — Biological Abstracts