conventicle

[ kuh n-ven-ti-kuh l ]
/ kənˈvɛn tɪ kəl /

noun

a secret or unauthorized meeting, especially for religious worship, as those held by Protestant dissenters in England in the 16th and 17th centuries.
a place of meeting or assembly, especially a Nonconformist meeting house.
Obsolete. a meeting or assembly.

Origin of conventicle

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin conventiculum a small assembly. See convent, -i-, -cle1

OTHER WORDS FROM conventicle

con·ven·ti·cler, noun con·ven·tic·u·lar [kon-ven-tik-yuh-ler] /ˌkɒn vɛnˈtɪk yə lər/, adjective

Words nearby conventicle

convenience food, convenience store, conveniency, convenient, convent, conventicle, convention, convention center, conventional, conventional sign, conventional thoracoplasty

Example sentences from the Web for conventicle

British Dictionary definitions for conventicle

conventicle
/ (kənˈvɛntɪkəl) /

noun

a secret or unauthorized assembly for worship
a small meeting house or chapel for a religious assembly, esp of Nonconformists or Dissenters

Derived forms of conventicle

conventicler, noun

Word Origin for conventicle

C14: from Latin conventiculum a meeting, from conventus; see convent