cordon sanitaire

[ French kawr-dawn sa-nee-ter ]

noun

, plural cor·dons sa·ni·taires [kaw, r, -daw, n, sa-nee-, ter].

1. a line around a quarantined area guarded to prevent the spread of a disease by restricting passage into or out of the area.
2. a group of neighboring, generally neutral states forming a geographical barrier between two states having aggressive military or ideological aims against each other.

cordon sanitaire

/ kɔrdɔ̃ sanitɛr /

noun

1. a guarded line serving to cut off an infected area
2. a line of buffer states, esp when protecting a nation from infiltration or attack

Word History and Origins

Origin of cordon sanitaire¹

From French, dating back to 1840–50; cordon, sanitary

Word History and Origins

Origin of cordon sanitaire¹

C19: literally: sanitary line

Example Sentences

That’s why counties like Los Angeles have kept up vigilant monitoring and fly-murdering programs, sometimes with new tools, to protect the state’s agricultural cordon sanitaire from Napa and Sonoma to the Mexican border.

From Los Angeles Times

When it comes to far-right inroads in European politics, analysts sometimes invoke the French phrase cordon sanitaire, which originally referred to the boundaries of a quarantine zone during an outbreak of infectious disease.

From Los Angeles Times

RN leader Marine Le Pen told French radio that "it was urgent to establish a cordon sanitaire" between the parties.

From BBC

"Cordon sanitaire" is a term used by some political parties to reject cooperation with movements viewed as too extreme.

From BBC

One favored analogy for dealing with them has been a “cordon sanitaire,” the protective barrier put in place to stop the spread of infectious diseases.

From Seattle Times