excludere

Excludere is a Latin verb of the third conjugation meaning to shut out, to exclude, or to keep out. The term combines ex- “out” with cludere “to close,” and it serves as the root for the English exclude and for similar forms in several Romance languages, such as Italian escludere and French exclure.

Grammatically, excludere is a transitive verb with the principal parts excludō, excludere, exclusī, exclusum. In active voice it takes a direct object in the accusative to indicate what is shut out. It appears in the tenses and moods typical of Latin verbs, including the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative forms. The verb can also be used in a figurative sense, meaning to omit, to reject, or to preclude.

The passive voice exists with forms such as excludor, excluderis, excluditur, excludimur, excludiminī, excluduntur, though passive constructions are less common in classical prose. The meaning ranges from physically preventing access to more abstract exclusions, such as omitting a person from a group or excluding a clause from a document.

Etymology and cognates: excludere derives from ex- “out” + cludere “to close.” Related forms appear in many Romance languages—escludere in Italian, excluir in Spanish and Portuguese, exclure in French—and the root is connected to other claudere-derived terms in Latin and its descendants. In Latin dictionaries, excludere is listed alongside verbs formed with prefixes that modify the basic sense of closing or adjoining.

See also: exclusion, exclude (English).