enclave
UK /ˈɛnkleɪv/ · US /ˈɑnkleɪv/ noun, verb
Forms enclaves enclaving enclaved
- noun A political, cultural or social entity or part thereof that is completely surrounded by another. “The Republic of San Marino is an enclave of Italy.”
- noun A group that is set off from a larger population by its characteristic or behavior.
- noun (computing) An isolated portion of an application's address space, such that data in an enclave can only be accessed by code in the same enclave.
- verb (transitive) To enclose within a foreign territory.
Etymology
Borrowed from French enclave, from Middle French enclave (“enclave”), deverbal of enclaver (“to inclose”), from Old French enclaver (“to inclose, lock in”), from Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre (“to lock in”), from in + Latin clavis (“key”) or clavus (“nail, bolt”). Compare inlock.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A tract of land or a territory inclosed within another territory of which it is independent. See Exclave. [Recent]
- verb To inclose within an alien territory. [Recent]
Etymology [F., fr. L. in + clavus a nail.]
Etymology [Cf. F. enclaver.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “enclave”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details