enclosure

[en-kloh-zher]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enclosure ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something that encloses, as a fence or wall.

something that is enclosed, as a paper sent in a letter.

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

a tract of land surrounded by a fence.

an act or instance of enclosing.

the state of being enclosed.

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

Nearby words

Also inclosure.

Origin of enclosure

1530–40; enclose + -ure; compare Anglo-French enclosure

Related formsnon·en·clo·sure, nounpre·en·clo·sure, nounsem·i·en·clo·sure, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for enclosure

At his signal, a gate at the far end of the enclosure was swung open.
Chicago’s Running of the Bulls|Hampton Stevens|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bulls ran through the crowd, and into another pen at the opposite end of the enclosure.
Chicago’s Running of the Bulls|Hampton Stevens|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It will also ensure that there can be no fire inside the enclosure, thus adding another layer of protection to the battery system.
Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo|Clive Irving|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This enclosure will isolate the battery from the rest of the equipment in the electronic bays.
Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo|Clive Irving|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Within the enclosure, men sit on dirty couches, either improvised out of other materials or actual literal couches.
My Walk Through Kiev's Maidan Square|Miranda Frum|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And he laid the second enclosure before the young Englishman.
Lord Montagu's Page|G. P. R. James
The next morning they were contentedly lying down outside of the enclosure which held their team.
The Wonder Island Boys: Exploring the Island|Roger Thompson Finlay
A maple within the enclosure exhibits 242 rings of annual growth.
The Country of the Neutrals|James H. Coyne
Her father's horse, that had borne him so many years, was feeding in the enclosure.
Delusion, or The Witch of New England|Eliza Buckminster Lee
To the smaller freeholder, as has been noticed, the enclosure of waste land did much harm, for it was necessary to his holding.
A Short History of English Agriculture|W. H. R. Curtler

British Dictionary definitions for enclosure

enclosure

inclosure

noun

the act of enclosing or state of being enclosed

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

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

a fence, wall, etc, that serves to enclose

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

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

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

Word Origin and History for enclosure

enclosure

mid-15c., "action of enclosing," from enclose + -ure. Meaning "that which is enclosed" is from 1550s.

enclosure

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of enclosure

Examples from the Web for enclosure

enclosure

inclosure

noun

enclosure