cordon sanitaire

[French kawr-dawn sa-nee-ter]

noun, plural cor·dons sa·ni·taires [French kawr-dawn sa-nee-ter] /French kɔr dɔ̃ sæ niˈtɛr/.

a line around a quarantined area guarded to prevent the spread of a disease by restricting passage into or out of the area.

a group of neighboring, generally neutral states forming a geographical barrier between two states having aggressive military or ideological aims against each other.

Origin of cordon sanitaire

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cordon sanitaire

cordon sanitaire

noun

a guarded line serving to cut off an infected area

a line of buffer states, esp when protecting a nation from infiltration or attack

Word Origin for cordon sanitaire

C19: literally: sanitary line

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for cordon sanitaire

cordon sanitaire

[kôr-dôɴ′ sä-nē-târ′]

n.

A barrier designed to prevent a disease or other undesirable condition from spreading.