Definition

Noun: 1. A private or secret meeting: A gathering, especially of a group with shared interests or authority, held in private. 2. The assembly of cardinals for the election of a pope: Specifically, the confidential meeting of the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals convened to elect a new pope.

Usage

The word "conclave" emphasizes privacy, confidentiality, and exclusivity. It is used for meetings that are closed to the public or outsiders, often involving deliberation or decision-making by a select group.

Examples

• General Secret Meeting:
  • The board members held a private conclave to discuss the sensitive merger.
  • The leaders of the faction met in a midnight conclave to plan their strategy.
• Papal Election:
  • The cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel for the conclave to choose the next pope.
  • The world awaited the white smoke signaling the end of the conclave.

Advanced Usage

• "To sit in conclave": To be assembled in a private or secret meeting.
  • The committee was sitting in conclave for hours before announcing their decision.
• Used metaphorically to describe any exclusive, closed-door gathering for serious discussion.
  • The senior professors had a conclave to revise the university's core curriculum.

Variants and Related Words

• Conclavist (noun, historical): An attendant or advisor to a cardinal during a papal conclave.
• While "conclave" itself is a noun, the concept is often associated with the adjective conclavistic, though this is rare.

Synonyms

• Secret meeting
• Private assembly
• Closed-door session
• Caucus (especially in a political context)
• Huddle (informal, for a brief, intense discussion)

Antonyms

• Public forum
• Open meeting
• Plenary session (one intended for all members)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "In conclave": In the state of being in a private meeting.
  • They are in conclave and cannot be disturbed.
• The term is inherently idiomatic, as its primary modern use outside of the papal context carries the figurative sense of a highly confidential gathering.

Noun

1. a confidential or secret meeting