enclosure

English Online Dictionary. What means enclosure‎? What does enclosure mean?

English

Alternative forms

• inclosure (was as common as or more common until the early 1800s; now uncommon)

Etymology

From Middle English enclosure, from Old French enclosure, from enclore, from Latin inclūdere, inclūdō, from in- (“in”) + claudō (“to shut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u- (“key, hook, nail”). Alike to inclusion.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɛnˈkloʊʒəɹ/, /ɪnˈkloʊʒəɹ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkləʊʒə/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ɘnˈklɐʉʒɘ/
• Hyphenation: en‧clo‧sure

Noun

enclosure (countable and uncountable, plural enclosures)

1. (countable) Something that is enclosed, i.e. inserted into a letter or similar package.

2. (uncountable) The act of enclosing, i.e. the insertion or inclusion of an item in a letter or package.

3. (countable) An area, domain, or amount of something partially or entirely enclosed by barriers.
4. (uncountable) The act of separating and surrounding an area, domain, or amount of something with a barrier.

5. (uncountable, by extension) The act of restricting access to ideas, works of art or technologies using patents or intellectual property laws.
6. (uncountable, British History) The post-feudal process of subdivision of common lands for individual ownership.

7. (religion) The area of a convent, monastery, etc where access is restricted to community members.

Usage notes

• For more on the spelling of this word, see enclose.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• corneules, encolures

Old French

Alternative forms

• encloseure

Etymology

enclos-, stem of enclore +‎ -ure.

Noun

enclosure oblique singular, f (oblique plural enclosures, nominative singular enclosure, nominative plural enclosures)

1. enclosure (act of enclosing something)
2. enclosure (enclosed area)

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (encloseure)
• enclosure on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub