Word of the Day

: June 12, 2008

exclave

noun EKS-kleiv

What It Means

: a portion of a country separated from the main part and constituting an enclave in respect to the surrounding territory

exclave in Context

Technically, the state of Alaska is an exclave of the United States: it borders only Canadian territory.

Did You Know?

You probably won't be surprised to learn that the key to "exclave" is found in "enclave." "Enclave" itself ultimately derives from the Latin word for "key," which is "clavis." It was adopted in the mid-19th century from Middle French "enclaver" ("to enclose"), which in turn derives (through Vulgar Latin) from "in-" and "clavis." "Exclave" was formed about twenty years later by combining the prefix "ex-" and the "-clave" of "enclave." Other "clavis" descendants in English include "autoclave," "clavicle," "conclave," and "clavichord" ("an early keyboard instrument in use before the piano").