conclave
con·clave/ˈkɑnˌkleɪv/noun, verb
conclave is spelled C-O-N-C-L-A-V-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables (con·clave). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, conclave means “The set of apartments in which cardinals are secluded while the process to elect a pope takes place” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of conclave is conclaves.
How many letters and syllables are in conclave?
| Letters | 8: C-O-N-C-L-A-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: con·clave |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is conclave?
Conclave appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce conclave?
- UK /ˈkɒnkleɪv/
- UK /ˈkɒŋ-/
- US /ˈkɑnˌkleɪv/
Conclave has 2 syllables, split con·clave in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-conclave.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-conclave.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of conclave
- conclaves plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- conclaving participle, present
- conclaved participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does conclave mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The set of apartments in which cardinals are secluded while the process to elect a pope takes place.
- 2
A group of cardinals assembled to elect a new pope.
- 3
The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church collectively.
- 4
A closed assembly at which cardinals elect a pope.
in conclave
- 5
A closed, private, or secret meeting, especially one of an ecclesiastical nature.
- 6
obsoleteA private chamber or room.
verb
- 1
To participate in a closed, private, or secret meeting.
- 2
Of a cardinal: to attend a closed assembly to elect a pope.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Conclave in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | conclave |
| German | Konklave , Klausur, Klausurtagung |
| Spanish | cónclave |
| Portuguese | conclave |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does conclave come from?
The noun is derived from Late Middle English conclave (“private chamber; (Roman Catholicism) private room where election of the Pope takes place; meeting held for this purpose”), borrowed from Middle French conclave (modern French conclave), or directly from its etymon Latin conclāve (“chamber, room; enclosed space that can be locked; dining hall”), from con- (prefix denoting a being or bringing together of several objects) (combining form of cum (“(along) with”)) + clāvis (“key”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- (“(noun) crook, hook; peg; (verb) to close”)).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).