enclosure

Also in·clo·sure

[en-kloh-zher]

noun

1. something that encloses, as a fence or wall.

2. something that is enclosed in or along with something else, as a photograph sent in a letter.

3. an area, such as a plot of ground or an indoor surface, surrounded by a fence, rope, or other barrier.

4. the separation and appropriation of land by means of a fence.

5. an act or instance of enclosing.

6. the state of being enclosed.

7. Roman Catholic Church.,  the part of a monastery or convent canonically separated or restricted as the living quarters of the religious, which a person may leave only with special permission or gain entrance to by special dispensation.

enclosure

/ ɪnˈkləʊʒə /

noun

1. the act of enclosing or state of being enclosed

2. a region or area enclosed by or as if by a fence

3. 1. the act of appropriating land, esp common land, by putting a hedge or other barrier around it

   2. history such acts as were carried out at various periods in England, esp between the 12th and 14th centuries and finally in the 18th and 19th centuries

4. a fence, wall, etc, that serves to enclose

5. something, esp a supporting document, enclosed within an envelope or wrapper, esp together with a letter

6. a section of a sports ground, racecourse, etc, allotted to certain spectators

Other Word Forms

• nonenclosure noun
• preenclosure noun
• semienclosure noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of enclosure¹

First recorded in 1450–1500; enclose + -ure

Example Sentences

Team members placed a pregnant female panda in a semi-wild enclosure about one acre in size—with natural vegetation and a den where the soon-to-be mother could give birth.

Read more on Literature

Spain on Thursday extended poultry confinement measures to all its regions, after initially restricting birds to indoor enclosures in high-risk areas, the agriculture ministry said.

Read more on Barron's

Naomi, held on a leash by student Trinity Astilla, was the picture of lithe, feline elegance as she slunk around a dusty enclosure, briefly hopping atop her crate — but not into it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

You can get an incredibly high-quality prototype circuit board and enclosure in less than a week.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As a small-scale songbird rehabilitator I am not equipped, for instance, to take on a pileated woodpecker, which can smash its way out of any enclosure not made of steel.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cage 
• courtyard 
• pen