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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
Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Israel had tens of thousands of soldiers in the Palestinian enclave at the height of the war, the outlet reported.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
As was his application to live in the gated, exclusive enclave of DeGarmo Estates.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Nestled atop a 1-acre parcel of land, within an exclusive gated enclave offering tunnel access to Paradise Cove Beach, the property was completed in the early 1970s and has since been remodeled.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
After Israel struck and killed seven aid workers last week -- an incident Israel called a grave mistake -- Biden threatened to change U.S. policy toward Gaza condition if Israel didn't do more to allow humanitarian aid inside the enclave.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2024
But in enclaves where the thuds of artillery serve as white noise, war is never far away.
—Emile Ducke Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
More than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since as Israel bombards the Palestinian enclave.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave after October 7.
—Jeremy Diamond, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enclave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Enclave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enclave. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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enclave
noun
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More from Merriam-Webster on enclave
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for enclave
Nglish: Translation of enclave for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of enclave for Arabic Speakers
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