conversation

1、con- "with" + vers- [versare (vertere的反复体，反复动词：versare) => vers-] + -ation.
2、字面含义：turn with sb, turn to with sb, turn around with sb, turn to company with sb(表示转而和某人在一起，转而陪伴某人，和某人一起转悠). => keep company with sb, live with sb. => 陪伴，交往，社交，交谈，谈话。
3、turn理解为中文里的“转悠”，表示和某人一起到处转悠转悠，也行。
4、vertere => 反复体：versare. => 被动体：versari, 字面含义：keep to be turned, 由此引申为：abide, remain, live; 表示：保持下去，继续下去，维持下去。=> vers-. 该词的vers-就取这样的含义。
5. 共同的扭转话题。
6. 共同围绕一个话题才能说。

conversation 谈话

来自converse, 谈话。

conversation

conversation: [14] Latin convertere meant ‘turn round, transform’. It was a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix com- and vertere ‘turn’ (source of English verse, version, and vertigo). It has spawned a variety of English words, its most direct descendant being convert [13]. Its past participle conversus produced the noun converse ‘opposite’ [16], but this should not be confused with the verb converse ‘talk’ [14], which came via quite a different route.

Latin vertere had a specialized form, vertāre, denoting repeated action. From it came versārī ‘live, occupy oneself’, which, with the addition of the com- prefix, produced conversārī ‘live, dwell, associate or communicate with others’. This passed via Old French converser into English, but at first both it and its derivative conversation were limited semantically to the notion of ‘dwelling’ and ‘social life’; the specific modern sense ‘talk’ was not brought into play until the late 16th century.
=> convert, verse, version

conversation (n.)

mid-14c., "living together, having dealings with others," also "manner of conducting oneself in the world;" from Old French conversation, from Latin conversationem (nominative conversatio) "act of living with," noun of action from past participle stem of conversari "to live with, keep company with," literally "turn about with," from Latin com- "with" (see com-) + vertare, frequentative of vertere (see versus).

Specific sense of "talk" is 1570s. Used as a synonym for "sexual intercourse" from at least 1511, hence criminal conversation, legal term for adultery from late 18c. Related: Conversationalist; conversationist.

1. He finished his conversation and stood up, looking straight at me.

他说完话站起来，直视着我。

2. They can't believe you can even hold a conversation.

他们不敢相信你竟然能够把一场对话进行下去。

3. I didn't let on to the staff what my conversation was.

我没有将谈话内容向员工们透露。

4. The piano music mixes with the murmur of conversation.

钢琴的弹奏声混杂着低低的交谈声。

5. The weather is a constant topic of conversation in Britain.

在英国，天气是交谈中永恒的话题。

【dialogue, conversation, chat, talk】
这组词都有“交谈”的意思，其区别是：
dialogue: 指“对话”。
conversation: 一般用词，指两个或更多人互相交换意见的交谈。
chat: 指熟人之间非常随便的交谈，强调谈话的亲密和非正式性。
talk: 普通用词，可与conversation换用，指正式交谈。