enclave

American  

[en-kleyv, ahn-] / ˈɛn kleɪv, ˈɑn- /

noun

1. a country, or especially, an outlying portion of a country, entirely or mostly surrounded by the territory of another country.

2. any small, distinct area or group enclosed or isolated within a larger one.

   a Chinese-speaking enclave in London.

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verb (used with object)

enclaved, enclaving

1. to isolate or enclose (especially territory) within a foreign or uncongenial environment; make an enclave of.

   The desert enclaved the little settlement.

enclave British  

/ ˈɛnkleɪv /

noun

1. a part of a country entirely surrounded by foreign territory: viewed from the position of the surrounding territories Compare exclave

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Etymology

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

Compare meaning

How does enclave compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• enclave vs. exclave

Example Sentences

Arab officials overseeing the rollout said that by the end of the day, only five injured Palestinians had left the enclave, each accompanied by two family members.

From The Wall Street Journal

People will be able to enter and exit the enclave when the crossing opens on Monday, said Shimi Zuaretz, a spokesperson for Cogat, the Israeli military unit in charge of humanitarian coordination.

From The Wall Street Journal

But as they and their children assimilated, most families left these ethnic enclaves for the suburbs.

From The Wall Street Journal

The besieged enclave has neither water nor electricity.

From The Wall Street Journal

There, they ran an enclave with its own government and institutions, with the SDF being its military arm.

From BBC

Related Words

• area
• colony
• country
• district
• field
• land
• nation
• neighborhood
• province
• sector
• state
• street
• terrain
• zone