# conclave

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɒnkleɪv/ · frequency rank #36,498

## Definitions
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. A group of cardinals assembled to elect a new pope.
4. A closed assembly at which cardinals elect a pope.
5. A closed assembly at which cardinals elect a pope.
6. A private chamber or room.

## Etymology
PIE word
 *ḱóm
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”)).
The verb is derived from the noun.

## Easily confused with
- **conclude** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conclave-vs-conclude)
- **concave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/concave-vs-conclave)
- **conceive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conceive-vs-conclave)

## Common misspellings (12)
`cconclave`, `cnoclave`, `cocnlave`, `concalve`, `concclave`, `conclaev`, `conclavve`, `concllave`, `conclvae`, `conlcave`, `connclave`, `ocnclave`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/conclave