cordon sanitaire

[kawr-dawn sa-nee-ter]

noun

plural

cordons sanitaires 

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

And as soon as the more mainstream parties start giving up the 'firewall' or cordon sanitaire the far-right will start cannibalising the right.

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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.

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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.

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

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

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