session definition | Dictionary.com

ses⋅sion

[sesh-uh

–noun

1.	the sitting together of a court, council, legislature, or the like, for conference or the transaction of business: Congress is now in session.

2.	a single continuous sitting, or period of sitting, of persons so assembled.

3.	a continuous series of sittings or meetings of a court, legislature, or the like.

4.	the period or term during which such a series is held.

5.	sessions, (in English law) the sittings or a sitting of justices in court, usually to deal with minor offenses, grant licenses, etc.

6.	a single continuous course or period of lessons, study, etc., in the work of a day at school: two afternoon sessions a week.

7.	a portion of the year into which instruction is organized at a college or other educational institution.

8.	the governing body of a local Presbyterian church, composed of the pastor who moderates and the elders.

9.	a period of time during which a group of persons meets to pursue a particular activity: A few of the kids got together for a study session.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME < ML sessiōn- (s. of sessiō) law-court sitting, L: sitting, equiv. to sess(us) (ptp. of sedēre to sit ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms:

ses⋅sion⋅al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To session

ses·sion (sěsh'ən)

1. A meeting of a legislative or judicial body for the purpose of transacting business.
2. A series of such meetings.
3. The term or duration of time that is taken by such a series of meetings.
The part of a year or of a day during which a school holds classes.
An assembly of people for a common purpose or because of a common interest: a gossip session.
Law A court of criminal jurisdiction in the United States: the court of sessions.
A period of time devoted to a specific activity, as to recording music in a studio.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sessiō, sessiōn-, act of sitting, from sessus, past participle of sedēre, to sit; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]
ses'sion·al adj., ses'sion·al·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Session

Ses"sion\, n. [L. sessio, fr. sedere, sessum, to sit: cf. F. session. See Sit.]

1. The act of sitting, or the state of being seated. [Archaic]

So much his ascension into heaven and his session at the right hand of God do import. --Hooker.

But Viven, gathering somewhat of his mood, . . . Leaped from her session on his lap, and stood. --Tennyson.

2. The actual sitting of a court, council, legislature, etc., or the actual assembly of the members of such a body, for the transaction of business.

It's fit this royal session do proceed. --Shak.

3. Hence, also, the time, period, or term during which a court, council, legislature, etc., meets daily for business; or, the space of time between the first meeting and the prorogation or adjournment; thus, a session of Parliaments is opened with a speech from the throne, and closed by prorogation. The session of a judicial court is called a term.

It was resolved that the convocation should meet at the beginning of the next session of Parliament. --Macaulay.

Note: Sessions, in some of the States, is particularly used as a title for a court of justices, held for granting licenses to innkeepers, etc., and for laying out highways, and the like; it is also the title of several courts of criminal jurisdiction in England and the United States.

Church session, the lowest court in the Presbyterian Church, composed of the pastor and a body of elders elected by the members of a particular church, and having the care of matters pertaining to the religious interests of that church, as the admission and dismission of members, discipline, etc.

Court of Session, the supreme civil court of Scotland.

Quarter sessions. (Eng.Law) See under Quarter.

Sessions of the peace, sittings held by justices of the peace. [Eng.]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : session

Spanish: sesión,

German: die Sitzung,

Japanese: 審理

More Translations »

session

c.1386, "periodical sitting of a court," from O.Fr. session, from L. sessionem (nom. sessio) "act of sitting," from pp. stem of sedere "to sit" (see sedentary). Sense of "period set aside for some activity" is first recorded 1920, in bull session, probably from quarter sessions courts (see quarter). Musical sense of "recording occasion in a studio" is from 1927.

Main Entry: ses·sion
Function: noun
: a meeting or series of meetings of a body (as a court or legislature) for the transaction of business; also : the period between the first meeting of a legislative or judicial body and the final adjournment —see also REGULAR SESSION, SPECIAL SESSION

session networking
1. A lasting connection between a user (or user agent) and a peer, typically a server, usually involving the exchange of many packets between the user's computer and the server. A session is typically implemented as a layer in a network protocol (e.g. telnet, FTP).
In the case of protocols where there is no concept of a session layer (e.g. UDP) or where sessions at the session layer are generally very short-lived (e.g. HTTP), virtual sessions are implemented by having each exchange between the user and the remote host include some form of cookie which stores state (e.g. a unique session ID, information about the user's preferences or authorisation level, etc.).
See also login.
2. A lasting connection using the session layer of a networking protocol.
(1997-08-03)

session

see bull session.

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