conventicle

 
Pronunciation: /kənˈvɛntɪk(ə)l/

noun

historical
  • a secret or unlawful religious meeting, typically of nonconformists.

Origin:

late Middle English (in the general sense 'assembly, meeting', particularly a clandestine or illegal one): from Latin conventiculum '(place of) assembly', diminutive of conventus 'assembly, company', from the verb convenire (see convene)