exclave

noun ex·clave \ ˈek-ˌsklāv , -ˌskläv \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of exclave

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

exclave was our Word of the Day on 06/12/2008. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of exclave from the Web

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
So what's the world's largest true exclave, a landlocked one?

— ken jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, "People Have Been Arguing About Nakhchivan Since 'The Flood'," 21 May 2018
Voting will conclude at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT; 2 p.m. EDT) in Kaliningrad, the Baltic exclave that is Russia’s westernmost region.

— Washington Post, "Russia votes as Vladimir Putin eyes 4th presidential term," 18 Mar. 2018
Voting will conclude at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT; 2 p.m. EDT) in Kaliningrad, the Baltic exclave that is Russia's westernmost region, and initial results are expected soon afterward.

— nataliya vasilyeva and angela charlton, chicagotribune.com, "Vladimir Putin looks to gain 4th presidential term in Russia election," 18 Mar. 2018
Voting will conclude at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT; 2 p.m. EDT) in Kaliningrad, the Baltic exclave that is Russia's westernmost region.

— Fox News, "Russia votes as Vladimir Putin eyes 4th presidential term," 18 Mar. 2018
Protests were reported in dozens of cities, from the Pacific Coast to the Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad.

— jim heintz, The Seattle Times, "Russian opposition leader arrested amid election protests," 28 Jan. 2018
Reacting to Russia’s imposition of limits on Open Skies flights over Kaliningrad, Russia’s exclave along the Baltic Sea, U.S. officials now will limit flights over Hawaii to no more than 900 kilometers at a time.

— nathan hodge, WSJ, "In Tiff With Russia, U.S. Moves to Restrict International Military Flights Over Hawaii," 28 Sep. 2017

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.

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").