conclave
noun
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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
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, The Atlantic, 5 July 2024
President Xi will convene senior officials from July 15 to 18 for a delayed conclave that’s expected to set long-term policy on a wide range of economic and political issues, the official Xinhua News Agency reported after the Politburo wrapped up a meeting on Thursday.
—Alena Botros, Fortune Asia, 27 June 2024
That conclave starts on July 15th and runs from the 15th to the 18th.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 7 June 2024
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
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conclave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Conclave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conclave. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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conclave
noun
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