Conventicle

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈvɛntɪk(ə)l/

Definitions

1. A secret or private meeting, especially for religious purposes, is often convened by a small group experiencing persecution or dissent from the larger faith community
2. An assembly typically held in private to practice or discuss religious beliefs, particularly when not sanctioned by mainstream authorities
3. Such gatherings may represent informal religious sects, focusing on spiritual discussions without official recognition from established religious institutions

Etymology: Before it named a banned gathering, "conventicle" was simply a meeting. Its Latin ancestor, "conventiculum," meant an assembly, a meeting, or the place where people gathered, built from "conventus," the past participle of "convenire," "to come together." The word arrived in English in the Late Middle English period, and at first it covered any gathering, including ordinary meetings and even a church. The shift to suspicion came later. In English religious history, the term came to mean a small, unofficial religious assembly, often held outside the established church, and frequently a secret one. Because such gatherings were sometimes banned, the word took on an air of illicit meeting, and it was often used with contempt by those who disapproved of the groups involved.

Synonyms: meeting, assembly, gathering