What does session mean?
A session is a bounded period set aside for a meeting, activity, or interaction. The word commonly appears in educational and workplace settings, as in a training session or committee session, where it suggests a scheduled occasion with a defined focus. It can also refer to a formal sitting of a legislature or council, and to a user's period of interaction with a computer system or online service. In therapy, medicine, and related fields, “session” usually denotes an appointment or treatment period. The term is broad and neutral, but it often implies an organized event rather than an informal gathering. Its Latin origin, from sessio, a sitting, reflects the original idea of people coming together for formal business. Today, it describes both face-to-face gatherings and organized digital interactions.
nounA period devoted to a particular activity, meeting, or form of work. It can also refer to the formal sitting of a legislative body or, in computing, a period during which a user interacts with a system.
- A meeting or period of activity devoted to a particular purpose.
- A formal sitting or period of business in a legislative or other organized body.
- A period of instruction, therapy, consultation, or other individual work.
- A period during which a user interacts with a computer or online service.
"The training session focused on improving the team's communication skills."
"After a brief break, the committee resumed its session."
"She signed in for a secure online session and opened her account."
The plural is sessions.
"The course included several sessions on different aspects of the subject."
A session began with the idea of taking a seat: it comes from Latin sessio, a sitting or meeting.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does session come from?
The word entered English from Latin sessio, meaning “a sitting” or “a meeting,” a noun formed from sedere, “to sit.” In medieval and early modern English, it referred to a formal meeting or sitting of a court, council, or assembly. Its modern uses extended this sense to any organized period of activity and, later, to computing and other technical contexts.
Related word forms
How session is actually used
The word is widely used in professional, educational, therapeutic, legal, and computing contexts. In computing, it commonly refers to an authenticated interaction period or stored user state; in institutions, it may mean a scheduled sitting or a block of programmed activity.