enclave

The story

1. Latin · derived fromclavis“key”
2. Vulgar Latin · derived from*inclāvāre“to lock in”
3. Old French · derived fromenclaver“to inclose, lock in”
4. Middle French · derived fromenclave“enclave”
5. French · borrowed fromenclave
6. English todayenclave

Borrowed from French enclave, from Middle French enclave (“enclave”), deverbal of enclaver (“to inclose”), from Old French enclaver (“to inclose, lock in”), from Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre (“to lock in”), from in + Latin clavis (“key”) or clavus (“nail, bolt”). Compare inlock.

Words from the same roots