Conflab

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒn.flæb/

Definitions

1. A friendly and informal discussion or chat between individuals, often involving the share of opinions and ideas while fostering a sense of camaraderie
2. A casual talk or chat between people, usually lighthearted and relaxed
3. An easygoing exchange of thoughts and stories among individuals

Etymology: "Conflab" is a clipping of "confabulation," which in its older sense meant a friendly chat, and it has an odd extra consonant tucked into the middle. The word drops the "-ation" ending and inserts an "l" before the final syllable, a change that may be a joke meant to suggest "flab," as if the chat were a pleasantly soft, unhurried thing rather than a formal discussion. Confabulation itself comes from Latin "confabulari," meaning "to talk together," built from "con-" (together) and "fabulari" (to talk, tell stories), which is related to "fabula" (story). The modern psychological sense of confabulation, meaning invented memories, is a much later development, so the older conversational sense is the one that gave rise to this clipping.

Synonyms: discussion, talk, conversation, chat