cul-de-sac

[ kuhl-duh-sak, -sak, kool-; French kyduh-sak ]

noun

, plural culs-de-sac [kuhlz, -d, uh, -, sak, -sak, koolz, -, k, y, d, uh, -, sak].

1. a street, lane, etc., closed at one end; blind alley; dead-end street.
2. any situation in which further progress is impossible.
3. the hemming in of a military force on all sides except behind.
4. Anatomy. a saclike cavity, tube, or the like, open only at one end, as the cecum.

cul-de-sac

/ ˈkʌldəˌsæk; ˈkʊl- /

noun

1. a road with one end blocked off; dead end
2. an inescapable position
3. any tube-shaped bodily cavity or pouch closed at one end, such as the caecum

Word History and Origins

Origin of cul-de-sac¹

1730–40; < French: literally, bottom of the sack

Word History and Origins

Origin of cul-de-sac¹

C18: from French, literally: bottom of the bag