conventicle Hear it!

conventicle definition

con·ven·ti·cle (kən ven′ti kəl)

noun

  1. a religious assembly held illegally and secretly by certain Protestant sects that disputed the authority of the Church of England in the 16th and 17th cent.
  2. the meeting place of such an assembly

Etymology: ME < OFr conventicule < L conventiculum, dim. of convent

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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