Convention

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: con=ven=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

Convention, n. [L. conventio: cf. F. convention. See Convene, v. i.].

•  The act of coming together; the state of being together; union; coalition.  [1913 Webster]

  "The conventions or associations of several particles of matter into bodies of any certain denomination."  [1913 Webster]
•  General agreement or concurrence; arbitrary custom; usage; conventionality.  [1913 Webster]

  "There are thousands now
  Such women, but convention beats them down."  [1913 Webster]
•  A meeting or an assembly of persons, esp. of delegates or representatives, to accomplish some specific object, -- civil, social, political, or ecclesiastical.  [1913 Webster]

  "He set himself to the making of good laws in a grand convention of his nobles."  [1913 Webster]

  "A convention of delegates from all the States, to meet in Philadelphia, for the sole and express purpose of reserving the federal system, and correcting its defects."  [1913 Webster]
•  An extraordinary assembly of the parkiament or estates of the realm, held without the king's writ, -- as the assembly which restored Charles II. to the throne, and that which declared the throne to be abdicated by James II.  [1913 Webster]

  "Our gratitude is due . . . to the Long Parliament, to the Convention, and to William of Orange."  [1913 Webster]
•  An agreement or contract less formal than, or preliminary to, a treaty; an informal compact, as between commanders of armies in respect to suspension of hostilities, or between states; also, a formal agreement between governments or sovereign powers; as, a postal convention between two governments.  [1913 Webster]

  "This convention, I think from my soul, is nothing but a stipulation for national ignominy; a truce without a suspension of hostilities."  [1913 Webster]

  "The convention with the State of Georgia has been ratified by their Legislature."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Convention, n.
1 a general agreement, esp. agreement on social behaviour etc. by implicit consent of the majority. b a custom or customary practice, esp. an artificial or formal one.
2 a a formal assembly or conference for a common purpose. b US an assembly of the delegates of a political party to select candidates for office. c hist. a meeting of Parliament without a summons from the sovereign.
3 a a formal agreement. b an agreement between States, esp. one less formal than a treaty.
4 Cards an accepted method of play (in leading, bidding, etc.) used to convey information to a partner.
5 the act of convening.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. L conventio -onis (as CONVENE)

THESAURUS

Convention

Council of Nicaea, Council of Trent, Lateran Council, NATO, SEATO, Vatican Council, accord, agreement, alliance, amenities, arrangement, assemblee, assembly, assignation, at home, audience, ball, bargain, bargaining, bargaining session, bienseance, binding agreement, bon ton, bond, brawl, canon, capitulation, cartel, caucus, chapter, civilities, civility, classis, code, collective agreement, colloquium, comity, commandment, commission, committee, compact, conciliarism, conclave, concord, concordat, concourse, confab, confabulation, conference, conformity, confrontation, congregation, congress, consistory, consortium, constitutional convention, consuetude, consultation, contract, convenance, conventicle, conventional usage, conventionalism, conventionality, convocation, correctness, council, council fire, council of war, county convention, courtliness, covenant, covenant of salt, custom, dance, date, deal, decencies, decency, decorousness, decorum, dicker, dictum, diet, diocesan conference, diplomatic code, discussion, ecclesiastical council, ecumenical council, eisteddfod, elegance, elegancies, employment contract, entente, entente cordiale, established way, etiquette, exchange of views, exquisite manners, eyeball-to-eyeball encounter, fashion, festivity, fete, folkway, forgathering, form, formal agreement, formalities, formality, formula, forum, gathering, general principle, get-together, golden rule, good form, good manners, guideline, guiding principle, haute couture, high fashion, high-level talk, housewarming, huddle, imperative, interchange of views, international agreement, interview, ironclad agreement, law, league, legal agreement, legal contract, levee, manner, manners, maxim, meet, meeting, mitzvah, mode, moral, mores, mutual agreement, mutual-defense treaty, national convention, natural politeness, negotiations, news conference, nominating convention, nonaggression pact, norm, observance, ordinance, pact, paction, palaver, panel, parley, parochial church council, parochial council, party, plenary council, plenum, point of etiquette, politeness, politesse, political convention, pourparler, powwow, practice, praxis, precept, preliminary convention, presbytery, prescription, press conference, prevailing taste, principium, principle, prom, promise, proper thing, proprieties, propriety, protocol, punctilio, quadrennial circus, quiet good manners, quorum, rally, reception, regulation, rendezvous, ritual, rubric, rule, rules of conduct, seance, seemliness, seminar, session, settled principle, shindig, sit-in, sitting, social code, social conduct, social convention, social graces, social procedures, social usage, soiree, standard, standard behavior, standard usage, standing custom, state convention, stipulation, stream of fashion, style, summit, summit conference, summitry, swim, symposium, synod, tenet, time-honored practice, tradition, transaction, treaty, trend, turnout, understanding, union contract, usage, use, valid contract, vestry, vogue, wage contract, way, what is done, wont, wonting, working principle, working rule

ROGET THESAURUS

Convention

Assemblage

N assemblage, collection, collocation, colligation, compilation, levy, gathering, ingathering, muster, attroupement, team, concourse, conflux, congregation, contesseration, convergence, meeting, levee, reunion, drawing room, at home, conversazione, assembly, congress, convention, conventicle, gemote, conclave, posse, posse comitatus, Noah's ark, miscellany, collectanea, museum, menagerie, museology, crowd, throng, group, flood, rush, deluge, rabble, mob, press, crush, cohue, horde, body, tribe, crew, gang, knot, squad, band, party, swarm, shoal, school, covey, flock, herd, drove, atajo, bunch, drive, force, mulada, remuda, roundup, array, bevy, galaxy, corps, company, troop, troupe, task force, army, regiment, host, populousness, clan, brotherhood, fraternity, sorority, association, volley, shower, storm, cloud, group, cluster, Pleiades, clump, pencil, set, batch, lot, pack, budget, assortment, bunch, parcel, packet, package, bundle, fascine, fasces, bale, seron, seroon, fagot, wisp, truss, tuft, shock, rick, fardel, stack, sheaf, haycock, fascicle, fascicule, fasciculus, gavel, hattock, stook, accumulation, congeries, heap, lump, pile, rouleau, tissue, mass, pyramid, bing, drift, snowball, snowdrift, acervation, cumulation, glomeration, agglomeration, conglobation, conglomeration, conglomerate, coacervate, coacervation, coagmentation, aggregation, concentration, congestion, omnium gaterum, spicilegium, black hole of Calcutta, quantity, collector, gatherer, whip, whipper in, assembled, closely packed, dense, serried, crowded to suffocation, teeming, swarming, populous, as thick as hops, all of a heap, fasciculated cumulative, the plot thickens, acervatim, tibi seris tibi metis.

Council

N council, committee, subcommittee, comitia, court, chamber, cabinet, board, bench, staff, senate, senatus, parliament, chamber of deputies, directory, reichsrath, rigsdag, cortes, storthing, witenagemote, junta, divan, musnud, sanhedrim, classis, Amphictyonic council, duma, house of representatives, legislative assembly, legislative council, riksdag, volksraad, witan, caput, consistory, chapter, syndicate, court of appeal, board of control, board of works, vestry, county council, local board, audience chamber, council chamber, state chamber, cabinet council, privy council, cockpit, convocation, synod, congress, convention, diet, states-general, assembly, caucus, conclave, clique, conventicle, meeting, sitting, seance, conference, convention, exhibition, session, palaver, pourparler, durbar, house, quorum, council fire, powwow, primary, meeting, assemblage, member, senator, member of parliament, M, P, councilor, representative of the people, assemblyman, congressman, councilman, councilwoman, alderman, freeholder, senatorial, curule, congressional, parliamentary, legislative, law-making, regulatory, deliberative, council, committee, subcommittee, comitia, court, chamber, cabinet, board, bench, staff, senate, senatus, parliament, chamber of deputies, directory, reichsrath, rigsdag, cortes, storthing, witenagemote, junta, divan, musnud, sanhedrim, classis, Amphictyonic council, duma, house of representatives, legislative assembly, legislative council, riksdag, volksraad, witan, caput, consistory, chapter, syndicate, court of appeal, board of control, board of works, vestry, county council, local board, audience chamber, council chamber, state chamber, cabinet council, privy council, cockpit, convocation, synod, congress, convention, diet, states-general, assembly, caucus, conclave, clique, conventicle, meeting, sitting, seance, conference, convention, exhibition, session, palaver, pourparler, durbar, house, quorum, council fire, powwow, primary, meeting, assemblage, member, senator, member of parliament, M, P, councilor, representative of the people, assemblyman, congressman, councilman, councilwoman, alderman, freeholder, senatorial, curule, congressional, parliamentary, legislative, law-making, regulatory, deliberative.

Pacification

N pacification, conciliation, reconciliation, reconcilement, shaking of hands, accommodation, arrangement, adjustment, terms, compromise, amnesty, deed of release, peace offering, olive branch, calumet of peace, preliminaries of peace, truce, armistice, suspension of arms, suspension of hostilities, stand-down, breathing time, convention, modus vivendi, flag of truce, white flag, parlementaire, cartel, hollow truce, pax in bello, drawn battle, conciliatory, composing, pacified, requiescat in pace.

Compact

N compact, contract, agreement, bargain, affidation, pact, paction, bond, covenant, indenture, bundobast, deal, stipulation, settlement, convention, compromise, cartel, Protocol, treaty, concordat, Zollverein, Sonderbund, charter, Magna Charta, Progmatic Sanction, customs union, free trade region, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, GATT, most favored nation status, negotiation, diplomacy, negotiator, ratification, completion, signature, seal, sigil, signet, agreed, conventional, under hand and seal, caveat emptor.