cordon sanitaire

[ French kawr-dawn sa-nee-ter ]

/ French kɔr dɔ̃ sa niˈtɛr /

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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.

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Origin of cordon sanitaire

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

Words nearby cordon sanitaire

cordoba, cord of tympanum, cordon, cordonbleu, cordonnet, cordon sanitaire, cordopexy, cordotomy, Cordova, Cordovan, Cordran

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use cordon sanitaire in a sentence

You are in the jurisdiction of the starostie, and I am grand officer of the crown, and grand cordon of the White Eagle.
Book Bag: Beguiling if Unlikely Travel Books|Sean Wilsey|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I threaded my way through the silent throng of spectators, but was stopped at Fourth Street by a cordon of police.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Turkish authorities poured into the small town to cordon off the sites, with riot police keeping the crowds away.
Car-Bomb Explosions Rock Turkey|Mike Giglio|May 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Cordon off a few key machines and the assembly line cannot function.
How Do You Strike a Walmart?|Megan McArdle|November 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST

A group of people can cordon off your dies and force management to use nightsticks if they want to get at them.
How Do You Strike a Walmart?|Megan McArdle|November 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Finally the rioters were driven back, and a cordon of troops assured the safety of the capital.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
A double cordon of soldiers were stationed around the walls, to arrest all who should attempt to escape.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
Afterward, outside the police cordon thrown around the building, somebody jostled against him, peered under his hat brim.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
The men who were not on guard lay under the vehicles so as to form a cordon around the mules.
Overland|John William De Forest
A cordon of soldiers, placed at a distance from the pyre, kept the inquisitive from drawing too near.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue

British Dictionary definitions for cordon sanitaire

cordon sanitaire

/ French (kɔrdɔ̃ sanitɛr) /

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

Medical definitions for cordon sanitaire

cordon sanitaire

[ kôr-dôɴ′ sä-nē-târ′ ]

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