roundtable

roundtable — noun

1. a meeting in which a group of people share their ideas and opinions on a particu

1.名詞B2
釋義

a meeting in which a group of people share their ideas and opinions on a particular subject, with no single person acting as the leader or authority

例句

The university hosted a roundtable on climate change with scientists from six countries.

roundtable + on [topic] — formal context

Iris and her colleagues organized a roundtable to discuss the new education policy.

同義詞
  • forum

    more open-ended and may involve a larger audience; a roundtable is typically a smaller group of peers

  • symposium

    more formal and academic, often with prepared speeches; a roundtable is less structured

  • panel

    a panel speaks to an audience; a roundtable involves all participants equally

  • seminar

    a teaching-oriented meeting led by an expert; a roundtable has no designated leader

反義詞
  • lecture

    one person speaks to listeners; a roundtable involves shared discussion

  • monologue

    a single speaker without interaction; the opposite of mutual exchange

文法句型

roundtable + on [topic]

roundtable + about [topic]

用法筆記

May be written as one word (roundtable) or two separate words (round table) with no difference in meaning. The one-word form is more common in modern contexts, especially in titles and compound nouns like roundtable discussion.

常見錯誤

❌The professor gave a roundtable to the students.
✅The professor led a roundtable discussion with the students.
💡a roundtable is an interactive discussion, not a lecture or presentation.
❌They held a roundtable to decide the winner by vote.
✅They held a roundtable to exchange views on the proposal.
💡a roundtable focuses on discussion and sharing perspectives, not on voting or reaching a binding decision.

2. the legendary round table in medieval stories where the knights of King Arthur w

2.名詞B2
釋義

the legendary round table in medieval stories where the knights of King Arthur would meet, made with no head so that no member had a seat of higher status than any other

例句

In Arthurian legend, no knight had a seat at the head of the Round Table.

capitalized: the Round Table

Medieval paintings often show King Arthur seated at the centre of the Round Table.

文法句型

the Round Table

用法筆記

Always capitalised (the Round Table) when referring to the Arthurian object. The round table shape was said to prevent arguments over who sat at the head, reflecting the ideal of equality among the knights.

3. the group of brave knights in medieval stories who served King Arthur and gather

3.名詞B2
釋義

the group of brave knights in medieval stories who served King Arthur and gathered around the Round Table, known for their code of honour and their search for the Holy Grail

例句

In medieval tales, the Round Table searched for the Holy Grail across many lands.

the Round Table = the knights (metonymy)

Sir Lancelot was the most famous member of the Round Table in Arthurian legend.

同義詞

文法句型

the Round Table + singular/plural verb

用法筆記

This is a metonymic sense: the name of the object (the table) stands for the people associated with it (the knights). Always capitalised and preceded by the. Distinguish from sense 2, which refers to the physical table — when you read 'the Round Table set out on a quest,' the subject must be the knights, not the furniture.

常見錯誤

❌The Round Table was broken during the battle.' (if meaning the knights)
✅Many knights of the Round Table fell during the battle.
💡when you describe physical damage, use sense 2 (the actual table); when you describe actions of people, use sense 3.