conclave
[ kon-kleyv, kong- ]
/ ˈkɒn kleɪv, ˈkɒŋ- /
noun
a private or secret meeting.
an assembly or gathering, especially one that has special authority, power, or influence: a conclave of political leaders.
the assembly or meeting of the cardinals for the election of a pope.
the body of cardinals; the College of Cardinals.
the place in which the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church meet in private for the election of a pope.
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RELATED WORDS
confab, powwow, conference, gathering, assembly, parley, huddle, cabinet, session, council, meet, encounter, get-together
Nearby words
- concinnous,
- concise,
- concisely,
- conciseness,
- concision,
- conclavist,
- conclination,
- conclude,
- conclusion,
- conclusive
Origin of conclave
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for conclave
conclave
/ (ˈkɒnkleɪv, ˈkɒŋ-) /
noun
a confidential or secret meeting
RC Church
- the closed apartments where the college of cardinals elects a new pope
- a meeting of the college of cardinals for this purpose
Word Origin for conclave
C14: from Medieval Latin conclāve, from Latin: cage, place that may be locked, from clāvis key
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
conclave
late 14c., "a place where cardinals meet to elect a pope," from Italian conclave, from Latin conclave "a room, chamber suite," probably originally "a room which may be locked," from com- "together" (see com-) + clavis "a key" (see slot (n.2)). Extended sense of "private assembly" is first recorded 1560s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper