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Fence vs Enclosure - What's the difference?

fence | enclosure |

As nouns the difference between fence and enclosure

is that fence is a thin, human-constructed barrier which separates two pieces of land or a house perimeter while enclosure is something enclosed, i.e. inserted into a letter or similar package.

As a verb fence

is to enclose, contain or separate by building fence.

fence

English

(wikipedia fence)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A thin, human-constructed barrier which separates two pieces of land or a house perimeter.
  • *1865 , (Horatio Alger), , Ch.XVII:
  • *:There was a weak place in the fence separating the two inclosures
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=52, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= The new masters and commanders , passage=From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences , walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.}}
  • A middleman for transactions of stolen goods.
  • *
  • *:The Bat—they called him the Bat.. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.
  • #The place whence such a middleman operates.
  • Skill in oral debate.
  • The art or practice of fencing.
  • *1599 , (William Shakespeare), ,
  • *:I bruised my shin th' other day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence
  • A guard or guide on machinery.
  • (lb) A barrier, for example an emotional barrier.
  • *1980 , (ABBA), (The Winner Takes It All)
    • I was in your arms / Thinking I belonged there
  • A memory barrier.

    • Synonyms

    * (middleman) pawn * (place where a middleman operates) pawn shop

    Derived terms

    * catch fence * electric fence * fencepost * fencing * good fences make good neighbors * picket fence

    See also

    * wire netting * wire gauze

    Verb

    (fenc)
  • (lb) To enclose, contain or separate by building fence.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:O thou wall!dive in the earth, / And fence not Athens.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:a sheepcote fenced about with olive trees
  • *1856 , , ,
  • *:Here are twenty acres of land, and it is all you can properly farm, unless you have more help than yourself. Now fence and cultivate it, and you can make an abundant living.
  • (lb) To defend or guard.
  • *(John Milton) (1608-1674)
  • *:To fence my ear against thy sorceries.
  • (lb) To engage in the selling or buying of stolen goods.
  • *
  • *:The Bat—they called him the Bat.. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.
  • To engage in (the sport) fencing.
  • *1921 , (Rafael Sabatini), ,
  • *:Challenges are flying right and left between these bully-swordsmen, these spadassinicides, and poor devils of the robe who have never learnt to fence with anything but a quill.
  • To jump over a fence.

    • Synonyms

    * (to sell or buy stolen goods) pawn

    enclosure

    English

    (wikipedia enclosure)

    Alternative forms

    * inclosure

    Noun

  • (countable) Something enclosed, i.e. inserted into a letter or similar package.
    • There was an enclosure with the letter — a photo.
  • (uncountable) The act of enclosing, i.e. the insertion or inclusion of an item in a letter or package.
    • ''The enclosure of a photo with your letter is appreciated.
  • (countable) An area, domain, or amount of something partially or entirely enclosed by barriers.
    • He faced punishment for creating the fenced enclosure in a public park.
    The glass enclosure holds the mercury vapor.
    The winning horse was first into the unsaddling enclosure .
  • (uncountable) The act of separating and surrounding an area, domain, or amount of something with a barrier.
    • The enclosure of public land is against the law.
    The experiment requires the enclosure of mercury vapor in a glass tube.
    At first, untrained horses resist enclosure .
  • (uncountable, British History) The post-feudal process of subdivision of common lands for individual ownership.
    • Strip-farming disappeared after enclosure .
  • 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 (m).