conclave

noun

con·​clave ˈkän-ˌklāv 

1

: a private meeting or secret assembly

especially : a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals secluded continuously while choosing a pope

The conclave elected the new pope on the fifth ballot.

2

: a gathering of a group or association

the annual conclave of newspaper publishers

Did you know?

Conclave comes from a Latin word meaning "room that can be locked up" (from the Latin com-, "together," and clavis, "key"). The English conclave formerly had the same meaning, but that use is now obsolete. Today, conclave refers not to the locked rooms but to the private meetings and secret assemblies that occur within them. The meaning of conclave has also expanded to include gatherings that are not necessarily secret or private but simply involve people with shared interests.

Examples of conclave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The leader of the Catholic Church hosted the equivalent of a conclave of comedians in the Vatican by inviting Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien and others to the Vatican. —Christopher Lamb, CNN, 14 June 2024

In 2013, black smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that cardinals had failed on their first vote of the papal conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church to succeed Benedict XVI. —Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024

In the conclave, the members initially discussed having multiple top leaders instead of one but eventually rejected any power-sharing agreements. —Ali Reza Eshraghi, Foreign Affairs, 24 May 2023

Francis describes himself as being almost in denial about his rapidly elevating chances of being elected pope at the time of the 2013 conclave. —Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French, from Medieval Latin, from Latin, room that can be locked up, from com- + clavis key — more at clavicle

First Known Use

1524, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

conclave

noun

con·​clave ˈkän-ˌklāv 

: a private or secret meeting or assembly