enclave

Meanings

Noun

• A political, cultural or social entity or part thereof that is completely surrounded by another.
• A group that is set off from a larger population by its characteristic or behavior.
• An isolated portion of an application's address space, such that data in an enclave can only be accessed by code in the same enclave.

Verb

• To enclose within a foreign territory.

Origin

• Borrowed from French enclave, from Middle French enclave ("enclave"), deverbal of enclaver, from Old French enclaver ("to inclose, lock in"), from Vulgar Latin ("to lock in"), from in + Latin clavis ("key") or clavus. Compare inlock.