A private assembly or small gathering, particularly one meeting in secret to conduct business away from public view.
Latin diminutive of concilium, formed with the suffix -bulum. The root conciliare means 'to bring together' or 'to unite,' combining con- (together) and -ciliare, possibly related to -cilus (eyelash), metaphorically meaning to join closely.
The Latin diminutive -bulum doesn't make something less important—it makes it cozy and intimate. Church documents used this term for secret councils that made crucial decisions, showing how language reflects power operating in shadows.
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