Definition of conclaves:
(n) :
(Roman Catholicism) A group of cardinals assembled to elect a new pope.
(n) :
(Roman Catholicism) A closed assembly at which cardinals elect a pope.
(n) :
(Roman Catholicism) (by extension) A closed, private, or secret meeting, especially one of an ecclesiastical nature.
(n) :
(Roman Catholicism) (by extension, loosely) The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church collectively.
(n) :
(Roman Catholicism) The set of apartments in which cardinals are secluded while the process to elect a pope takes place.
(v) :
To participate in a closed, private, or secret meeting.