Congress

A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups.

[1] The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of adversaries) during battle, from the Latin congressus.

[2] The following congresses were formal meetings of representatives of different nations: In the mid-1770s, the British colonies that became the United States of America adopted for their joint convention the word "Congress" - to emphasize each colony's status as a state in its own right.

[citation needed] The term has since been adopted by many countries to refer to their legislatures.

Organizations in some athletic sports, such as bowling, have historically been named "congresses".