conventicle

Meaning

Noun

1. A secret, unauthorized or illegal religious meeting.
2. The place where such a meeting is held.
3. A Quaker meetinghouse.

Verb

To hold a secret, unauthorized or illegal religious meeting.

Synonyms

meetinghouse

assembly

house of prayer

house of worship

meeting

a hole-and-corner meeting

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kənˈvɛntɪk(ə)l/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: conventicle

In summary

From Late Middle English conventicle, conventicule (“a gathering, meeting (especially a secret or unlawful one); (derogatory) a church”), from Latin conventiculum (“assembly; meeting (or the place involved); association”), from conventus (“assembled, convened”) + -culum (suffix forming noun diminutives), perfect passive participle of conveniō (“to assemble, convene, meet together”), from con- (“together, with”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“along, at, next to, with”)) + veniō (“to approach, come”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (“to step”) + *-yéti (suffix forming intransitive, imperfective verbs)).