Are you familiar with the words enclave and exclave? If the answer is no or you are unsure whether your knowledge is correct, you have come to the right place. The easiest way to understand these words and their connections is first to know more about enclave vs exclave.
An enclave is a political, cultural, or social entity in a larger area. As a verb, enclave means to enclose within a foreign territory. On the other hand, an exclave is a section of a country that’s not connected to the main part. Also, a separate part of an organ like a gland/ thyroid.
Enclave and exclave are not common words you will often hear in conversations. However, they are exciting words that you will enjoy learning about. Stick to this article to the end and explore more regarding these words.
Definitions Of Enclave And Exclave
As simple as the words enclave and exclave sound, you will be surprised by how many people have never heard of them. This is not surprising as the English language has many words. It is hard for everyone to catch up with all these words, especially technical words like enclave and exclave.
Therefore, before getting into how these words are connected, it would be wise to start this post by explaining their definitions. So, here are the definitions of enclave and exclave:
Definitions Of Enclave
An enclave is “a political, cultural or social entity in the middle of another place.” For example, “San Marino Square is an enclave of Italy.”
Another reliable source defines an enclave as “a tract of land or a territory enclosed within another territory from which it is independent.” A sentence example is, “The villages surrounding the union square form a unique enclave within an otherwise democratic neighborhood.”
Another definition of enclave is “a group set off from a larger population by characteristics or behavior.” An example sentence is, “The unique circumstances of their marriage make it a lifestyle enclave.”
As a verb, enclave means “to enclose within a foreign territory” or “to enclose within an alien territory.” For example, “The county will enclave the group until the city council settles the disputes.”
Another definition of the enclave is “a territory’s portion bounded by a more extensive territory whose residents are ethnically distinct.” An example sentence is, “The governor gave the group a week to leave the coastal enclave before bringing in the police.”
An interesting meaning of enclave is “a place or group different in character from its surroundings.” For example, “The psychology department at the university is primarily a female enclave.”
Definitions Of Exclave
An exclave is “a portion of a country’s territory not connected to the main part.” An example sentence is, “Alaska is the perfect example of an exclave.”
Another definition of an enclave is “a part of the country separated from the main part and bounded by alien territory.” For example, “West Berlin was originally an exclave of West Germany.”
In science, an exclave is a separate chunk of something. A good example is an organ, like the thyroid. For example, “The surgeons had no difficulty operating on the enclave organ.”
How To Properly Use Enclave And Exclave In A Sentence
The definitions section above explains how simple these words are. However, knowing the definitions may not be enough for you to begin using new words correctly in sentences. For this reason, we prepared the following tips for using enclave and exclave in sentences:
How To Use The Word Enclave
This word is primarily a noun. So, you can use it in sentences in the following contexts:
- Referring to a part of a county enclosed by a external territory
- Describing a unique class or clan
- Referring to a territory of a sovereign or a government
- Describing an area of land set aside for conversational obligations
You can also use this word as a verb when referring to:
- Forming a ring around something
- Enclosing something or someone within an alien territory
Furthermore, you can use the plural form of enclave (enclaves). An example sentence is, “The enclaves had nothing in common with the group.”
How To Use The Word Exclave
This word is also a noun. The beauty of this word is that it has a straightforward and single definition. So, you can only use it as a noun in a sentence when describing an area under one state bounded by another.
The plural form of this word is “exclaves.” For example, in a sentence, “The government declared the exclaves sovereign states after the UN conference.”
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Enclave vs Exclave: More On These Words Connections
According to the definitions, the core difference between “enclave” and “exclave” is that “enclave” is a separate entity but associated with a main region. In contrast, an exclave is a portion of a nation’s landmark not linked to another place.
Another difference you can derive from the definition is that an enclave can be a social, political, or cultural entity, like a group. On the other hand, an exclave is a part of a state’s area.
While these words have note-worthy differences, they also have some connections. Here are some of these connections:
Part Of Speech
The primary connection between these words is that they are both nouns. Therefore, they belong to the same part of speech.
Word Forming Elements
Another link between these words is that they both feature the word-forming element “clave.” This word comes from the Latin word “clavis,” meaning “key” from the PIE root “klau.” The other word-forming element for the enclave is “-en,” meaning “near, at, in, or within” from Green “en” and the PIE root “en.” On the other hand, the other word-forming element of exclave is “-ex,” meaning “out of, from, deprive of, or without.”
Pronunciation And Syllables
Another connection between these terms is their pronunciation. The correct way to say the word enclave is “/en-kleyv/.” In contrast, the proper way to say exclave is “/eks-kleyv/.” The pronunciations show that the connection between these words lies in their second syllable. It is also worth noticing that both words have two syllables.
List Of Examples Of The Use Of Enclave And Exclave In Sentences
Studies show that learners master new words better when they read sentence examples. The examples help them put the words in context. After reading the examples, linguists recommend constructing other sentences using the new words.
However, reading the examples comes first because it gives you some inspiration. So, let us look at some example sentences with the words enclave and exclave:
Example sentences of the word enclave
- The Dominican province exempted its enclave from the new political bill.
- The Kardashian’s marriages are an enclave of their lifestyle and culture.
- The Russian enclave got caught in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
- After years of dispute, the Sudanese government agreed to transfer the Lado enclave to the Congo state.
- The royal family gave the troops from Australia a week to leave their territory before forcefully removing them.
Example sentences of the word exclave
- The students wrote a paper exploring the territorial exclaves of Europe.
- The European exclaves suffered an economic crisis during the inflation.
- The researchers discovered twelve small exclaves during the studies.
- The Parish denounced the exclave in a public announcement.
- Musandam is an exclave of the nation of Oman.
Conclusion
The core difference between the two terms is that an enclave is linked to a political entity in another country or region. In contrast, an exclave is a social, political, or cultural entity linked by another or with different traits from its surroundings. Let us know if this article effectively describes the differences and connections between these words.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.