exclave

noun

ex·​clave ˈek-ˌsklāv 

-ˌskläv

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

Examples of exclave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rise to prominence O’Hare lies several miles northwest of Chicago’s urban core, a location that could have created complications for municipal control, as Illinois law does not favor exclaves (areas geographically detached from the rest of a municipality). —Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 June 2026

Putin also was asked in Kazakhstan about comments that NATO is capable of destroying Russian military assets in Moscow's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad. —Arkansas Online, 30 May 2026

The war game exercise focused on the Swedish island of Gotland because it is strategically located in the Baltic Sea between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad – where Moscow has stationed missiles – and Sweden. —ABC News, 12 May 2026

Its small Mediterranean coastal exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, adjacent to Morocco, share the European Union's only land borders with Africa. —CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

ex- + -clave (as in enclave)

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for exclave

• agave
• behave
• concave
• conclave
• enclave
• engrave
• enslave
• forgave
• landgrave
• margrave
• shortwave
• aftershave

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