conclave

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkɒnkleɪv/, /ˈkɒŋ-/ (UK); /ˈkɑnˌkleɪv/, /ˈkɑŋ-/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English conclave,^[2][3] partly through Middle French conclave,^[4][5] from Latin conclāve (“a room that can be locked”),^{[2][6][7][4][5]} from Latin com- (“with, together”) + clāvis (“key”).^{[2][6][7][4][5][8]}

Earliest recorded meaning

The place in which the cardinals meet in private to elect a pope (1393 in the OED; before 1393 in Barnhart).^[9][6][7]

Semantic evolution

In 15th-century English the word also meant a private chamber or retreat, used figuratively of the Virgin's womb, and dead conclave meant a tomb.^[7][3][9] The papal conclave, established by Pope Gregory X in 1274, gave each cardinal a small locked cell during the election.^[8] From the place the word passed to the meeting of cardinals itself (1625) and to the College of Cardinals (1613).^[9][10] By 1568 it was extended to any private or close assembly, especially of an ecclesiastical character,^[9][6][7] and it is now used of any confidential meeting or gathering of a group.^[2][4][10]

Timeline

• 1393 – the place where cardinals elect a pope.^[9][6]
• before 1400 – a private chamber (obsolete).^[9]
• 1568 – any private assembly.^[9][6]
• 1613 – the body of cardinals.^[9]
• 1625 – the assembly of cardinals electing a pope.^[9]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A secret or confidential meeting.
2. The meeting of the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, secluded while they elect a pope, or the rooms in which it is held.
3. A gathering of the members of a group or association.

Related words

• clave
• conclavist
• enclave
• clavicle
• clef
• clause
• close

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
7. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b Hendrickson, Robert (2008), The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th ed., New York: Facts on File
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House