cul-de-sac

[ kuhl-duh-sak, -sak, koo l-; French kyduh-sak ]
/ ˈkʌl dəˈsæk, -ˌsæk, ˈkʊl-; French küdəˈsak /

noun, plural culs-de-sac [kuhlz-duh-sak, -sak, koo lz-; French kyduh-sak] /ˈkʌlz dəˈsæk, -ˌsæk, ˈkʊlz-; French küdəˈsak/.

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

Origin of cul-de-sac

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

Words nearby cul-de-sac

Example sentences from the Web for cul-de-sac

British Dictionary definitions for cul-de-sac

cul-de-sac
/ (ˈkʌldəˌsæk, ˈkʊl-) /

noun plural culs-de-sac or cul-de-sacs

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

Word Origin for cul-de-sac

C18: from French, literally: bottom of the bag

Medical definitions for cul-de-sac

cul-de-sac
[ kŭldĭ-săk, kul′- ]

n. pl. culs-de-sac (kŭlz-, kulz′-)

A saclike cavity or tube open only at one end.