conventicle

Meanings

Noun

a secret unauthorized meeting for religious worship
a building for religious assembly (especially Nonconformists, e.g., Quakers)
A secret, unauthorized or illegal religious meeting.
The place where such a meeting is held.
A Quaker meetinghouse.

Verb

To hold a secret, unauthorized or illegal religious meeting.

Origin / Etymology

From Late Middle English conventicle, conventicule (“a gathering, meeting (especially a secret or unlawful one); (derogatory) a church”), from Latin conventiculum (“assembly; meeting (or the place involved); association”), from conventus (“assembled, convened”) + -culum (suffix forming noun diminutives), perfect passive participle of conveniō (“to assemble, convene, meet together”), from con- (“together, with”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“along, at, next to, with”)) + veniō (“to approach, come”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (“to step”) + *-yéti (suffix forming intransitive, imperfective verbs)).

Synonyms

meetinghouse

Scrabble Score: 18

conventicle is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
conventicle is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
conventicle is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 24

conventicle is a valid Words With Friends word