: a distinct territorial, cultural, or social unit enclosed within or as if within foreign territory
ethnic enclaves
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Enclave comes from French enclaver, meaning "to enclose," which itself is based on the Latin noun clavis, meaning "key." Clavis opened the door to a few other English words, some of which might seem unlikely relatives of enclave. For example, clavicle, the word for the bone that joins the breastbone and the shoulder blade, and the musical sign clef.
Examples of enclave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
More than 53,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its bombing campaign and ground invasion after Hamas’ terrorist attack, according to health officials in the enclave.
—
Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 22 May 2025
The database storing Recall data was now encrypted, with the keys secured in a secure enclave separate from Windows.
—ArsTechnica, 21 May 2025
Harry and Meghan moved to her home state of California and eventually settled in the Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito, where their daughter Princess Lilibet, now 3, was born in June 2021.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 20 May 2025
On Tuesday, health officials in Gaza said that Israeli strikes killed at least 49 people across the enclave overnight.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
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Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 22 May 2025
The database storing Recall data was now encrypted, with the keys secured in a secure enclave separate from Windows.
—ArsTechnica, 21 May 2025
Harry and Meghan moved to her home state of California and eventually settled in the Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito, where their daughter Princess Lilibet, now 3, was born in June 2021.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 20 May 2025
On Tuesday, health officials in Gaza said that Israeli strikes killed at least 49 people across the enclave overnight.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for enclave
Cite this Entry
“Enclave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enclave. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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Medical Definition
enclave
noun
en·clave
ˈen-ˌklāv; ˈän-ˌklāv 
ˈäŋ-
ˈäŋ-
-ˌkläv
: something enclosed in an organ or tissue but not a continuous part of it
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