conversationalist, conversation piece

Johnson Life of Johnson - Chapter XXVIII

It was well observed by Dr. Percy, now Bishop of Dromore, 'The conversation of Johnson is strong and clear, and may be compared to an antique statue,, where every vein and muscle is distinct and clear.” ...

Definition

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conversation Show phonetics
noun [C or U]
(a) talk between two or more people in which thoughts, feelings and ideas are expressed, questions are asked and answered, or news and information are exchanged:
She had a strange conversation with the bloke who's moved in upstairs.
It's impossible to hold/carry on a conversation with all this noise going on!
I struck up (= started) an interesting conversation with your uncle.
Because of television, many people have lost the art of conversation (= talking to each other).
Whenever I'm in a social situation with my boss, we seem to run out of conversation (= things to say to each other) after two minutes!

conversational Show phonetics
adjective
relating to or like a conversation:
a conversational style of writing
He seems to lack basic conversational skills.

conversationalist Show phonetics
noun [C]
someone who enjoys or is good at talking with people

converse Show phonetics
verb [I] FORMAL
She's so shy that conversing with her can be quite difficult.
See also converse.

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

con・ver・sa・tion

━━ n. 会話, 談話.
con・ver・sa・tion・al　━━ a. 会話（体）の; 座談のうまい［好きな］; 【コンピュータ】会話式の.
con・ver・sa・tion・al・ist　n. 話上手の［好きな］人.
con・ver・sa・tion・al・ly　ad.
conversational language　【コンピュータ】会話型言語.
conversational mode　【コンピュータ】会話形式.
conversational system　【コンピュータ】＝interactive system.
conversation piece　話題となるもの, 話の種; （一家）団欒(らん)図 ((特に18世紀に流行した風俗画の一種)).

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Overview

Eighteenth-century British painters used the word “conversation” to describe informal group portraits as well as imaginary views of daily life, now called genre scenes. In portraiture, conversation pieces referred to pictures commissioned by families or friends to portray them sharing common activities such as hunts, meals, or musical parties.