exclave

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

Updated on: 21 Mar 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

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
Poland has also shut down its airspace near Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave on its northern border.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "What you need to know about Russia’s huge military exercise," 14 Sep. 2017
Previously, European officials have been frustrated in attempts to find out what sort of missiles are parked in the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad, or whether Russian nuclear submarines in the Baltic Sea are carrying warheads.

— julian e. barnes, WSJ, "NATO Slams Russia for Limiting Access to Military Drills," 25 Aug. 2017
Before the exercise, Russia said the drills would involve fewer than 13,000 troops engaged in a counterterrorism scenario in Belarus, the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, the Baltic Sea region and around St. Petersburg.

— eric schmitt, New York Times, "Vast Exercise Demonstrated Russia’s Growing Military Prowess," 1 Oct. 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").