exclave
noun
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
Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026
Azerbaijan said one of the drones struck the terminal building of the airport while the other fell near a school in a nearby village in the Nakhchivan exclave, which borders Turkey, Armenia and Iran.
—Jasmine Green, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
It is expected to connect Azerbaijan and its autonomous Nakhchivan exclave, which are separated by a 20-mile-wide patch of Armenian territory.
—Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Its Kaliningrad exclave is home to the Kremlin’s Baltic fleet and a wealth of other military assets.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exclave
Cite this Entry
“Exclave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exclave. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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