Definition of EXCLAVE

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").

Examples of exclave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Antiship missiles reinforce Kuril Island defenses, and there are short-range ballistic Iskander missiles in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, between Lithuania and Poland. — Thomas Grove, WSJ, "The New Iron Curtain: Russian Missile Defense Challenges U.S. Air Power," 23 Jan. 2019 Vaindloo is near a corridor where Russian military and cargo planes fly to get from the St. Petersburg area to the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad. — Fox News, "Estonia says Russian plane violates airspace," 12 Mar. 2018 Englishmen who couldn't find flights were arriving in the Russian exclave by bus from neighboring Poland and reported several security checks and delays around the border. — Rob Harris, Fox News, "Loophole exposed to get easier entry to World Cup in Russia," 28 June 2018 The 40-mile-wide corridor is hemmed in by the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on one side and Belarus, a Russian ally, on the other. — Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, "How U.S. troops could get stuck in a traffic jam on their way to fend off war with Russia," 24 June 2018 The corridor is sandwiched between the heavily militarized Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Moscow’s ally Belarus, and is considered NATO’s weak spot on its eastern flank. — Eric Schmitt, New York Times, "In Eastern Europe, U.S. Military Girds Against Russian Might and Manipulation," 27 June 2018 The Lithuanian government has strongly objected to two nuclear power plants being built by Rosastom in Belarus, south of the Baltic country, and in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which shares a border with Lithuania, among others. — Fox News, "Lithuanian lawmaker resigns after surviving impeachment vote," 14 Mar. 2018 Kaliningrad, which will host four World Cup matches this month, is a peculiar Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea. — Ross Kenneth Urken, The New Republic, "Playing Geopolitics With the World Cup," 5 June 2018 The lucrative deal in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland, went to the company of Aras Agalarov, who is one of Russia’s wealthiest men. — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, "Russian City’s Dazzling New Soccer Stadium Outshines Its Team," 27 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exclave.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.