conventicle

UK: /kənˈvɛntɪk^əl/ US: (kən ven′ti kəl)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

con•ven•ti•cle  (kən ven′ti kəl), n. 

1. Religion a secret or unauthorized meeting, esp. for religious worship, as those held by Protestant dissenters in England in the 16th and 17th centuries.
2. Religion a place of meeting or assembly, esp. a Nonconformist meeting house.
3. [Obs.] a meeting or assembly.

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

con•ven′ti•cler, n. 
con•ven•tic•u•lar  (kon′ven tik′yə lər), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

conventicle / kənˈvɛntɪk^əl/ noun

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

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin conventiculum a meeting, from conventus; see convent