Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A country or part of a country lying wholly within the boundaries of another.
  • noun A distinctly bounded area enclosed within a larger unit.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To inclose or surround, as a region or state, by the territories of another power.
  • noun Something closed; specifically, a small outlying portion of a country which is entirely surrounded by the territories of another power. Enclaves are especially common among the states of the German empire.
  • noun In heraldry, anything let into something else, especially when the thing let in is square.
  • In heraldry:

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Recent A tract of land or a territory inclosed within another territory of which it is independent. See exclave.
  • transitive verb Recent To inclose within an alien territory.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A political, cultural or social entity or part thereof that is completely surrounded by another.
  • noun A group that is set off from a larger population by its characteristic or behavior.
  • verb transitive To enclose within a foreign territory.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Old French enclaver, to enclose, from Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre : Latin in-, in; see en– + Latin clāvis, key.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French enclave, from Middle French enclave ("enclave"), deverbal of Middle French enclaver ("to inclose"), from Old French enclaver ("to inclose, lock in"), from Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre ("to lock in"), from in + clavis ("key") or clavus ("nail, bolt"). Compare inlock.

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Examples

  • But before you attach the label enclave of the rich and famous, longtime summer resident and Harvard professor Charles Ogletree says take a look around.

    CNN Transcript Aug 21, 2009 2009

  • The prices quoted at the top of the thread seem to indicate that the primary savings living in the Chapala expat enclave is to be realized mostly in tax burden reduction, (WA state is regressive in this aspect), and not having to pay much for a little heat, and not requiring AC.

    fuel, food, utilities, taxes,et cetera. 2009

  • The prices quoted at the top of the thread seem to indicate that the primary savings living in the Chapala expat enclave is to be realized mostly in tax burden reduction, (WA state is regressive in this aspect), and not having to pay much for a little heat, and not requiring AC.

    fuel, food, utilities, taxes,et cetera. 2009

  • The prices quoted at the top of the thread seem to indicate that the primary savings living in the Chapala expat enclave is to be realized mostly in tax burden reduction, (WA state is regressive in this aspect), and not having to pay much for a little heat, and not requiring AC.

    fuel, food, utilities, taxes,et cetera. 2009

  • The prices quoted at the top of the thread seem to indicate that the primary savings living in the Chapala expat enclave is to be realized mostly in tax burden reduction, (WA state is regressive in this aspect), and not having to pay much for a little heat, and not requiring AC.

    fuel, food, utilities, taxes,et cetera. 2009

  • The prices quoted at the top of the thread seem to indicate that the primary savings living in the Chapala expat enclave is to be realized mostly in tax burden reduction, (WA state is regressive in this aspect), and not having to pay much for a little heat, and not requiring AC.

    fuel, food, utilities, taxes,et cetera. 2009

  • The prices quoted at the top of the thread seem to indicate that the primary savings living in the Chapala expat enclave is to be realized mostly in tax burden reduction, (WA state is regressive in this aspect), and not having to pay much for a little heat, and not requiring AC.

    fuel, food, utilities, taxes,et cetera. 2009

  • The prices quoted at the top of the thread seem to indicate that the primary savings living in the Chapala expat enclave is to be realized mostly in tax burden reduction, (WA state is regressive in this aspect), and not having to pay much for a little heat, and not requiring AC.

    fuel, food, utilities, taxes,et cetera. 2009

  • The prices quoted at the top of the thread seem to indicate that the primary savings living in the Chapala expat enclave is to be realized mostly in tax burden reduction, (WA state is regressive in this aspect), and not having to pay much for a little heat, and not requiring AC.

    fuel, food, utilities, taxes,et cetera. 2009

  • The prices quoted at the top of the thread seem to indicate that the primary savings living in the Chapala expat enclave is to be realized mostly in tax burden reduction, (WA state is regressive in this aspect), and not having to pay much for a little heat, and not requiring AC.

    fuel, food, utilities, taxes,et cetera. 2009

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