1. conventicle - Noun
2. conventicle - Verb
A small assembly or gathering; esp., a secret assembly.
An assembly for religious worship; esp., such an assembly held privately, as in times of persecution, by Nonconformists or Dissenters in England, or by Covenanters in Scotland; -- often used opprobriously, as if those assembled were heretics or schismatics.
Source: Webster's dictionaryBunyan was arrested under the Conventicle Act of 1593, which made it an offence to attend a religious gathering other than at the parish church with more than five people outside their family. Source: Internet