Meaning

noun a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)

noun an association of sports teams that organizes matches for its members

noun a discussion among participants who have an agreed (serious) topic

originFrom Middle French conférence, from Medieval Latin cōnferentia, from Latin cōnferēns, omitting several steps, from con- + ferō. Compare parallel Russian собра́ние (sobránije), Russian сбо́рище (sbórišče), akin to с- (s-), со- (so-) + брать (bratʹ), ultimately from the same Indo-European prefix and root. Also compare congress, convention.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0