enclave
[ en-kleyv, ahn- ]
/ ˈɛn kleɪv, ˈɑn- /
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noun
a country, or especially, an outlying portion of a country, entirely or mostly surrounded by the territory of another country.
any small, distinct area or group enclosed or isolated within a larger one: a Chinese-speaking enclave in London.
verb (used with object), en·claved, en·clav·ing.
to isolate or enclose (especially territory) within a foreign or uncongenial environment; make an enclave of: The desert enclaved the little settlement.
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Origin of enclave
1865–70; <French, Middle French, noun derivative of enclaver<Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre to lock in, equivalent to Latin in-in-2 + clāv(is) key + -āre infinitive suffix
Words nearby enclave
Encke's comet, Encke's division, encl., en clair, enclasp, enclave, enclitic, enclose, enclosed order, enclosure, enclosure act
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use enclave in a sentence
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British Dictionary definitions for enclave
enclave
/ (ˈɛnkleɪv) /
noun
a part of a country entirely surrounded by foreign territory: viewed from the position of the surrounding territoriesCompare exclave
Word Origin for enclave
C19: from French, from Old French enclaver to enclose, from Vulgar Latin inclāvāre (unattested) to lock up, from Latin in- ² + clavis key
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for enclave
enclave
[ ĕn′klāv′, ŏn′- ]
n.
A detached mass of tissue enclosed in tissue of another kind.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.










