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cul-de-sac
[ kuhl-duh-sak, -sak, kool-; French kyduh-sak ]
/ ˈkʌl dəˈsæk, -ˌsæk, ˈkʊl-; French küdəˈsak /
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noun, plural culs-de-sac [kuhlz-duh-sak, -sak, koolz-; 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.
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Origin of cul-de-sac
1730–40; <French: literally, bottom of the sack
Words nearby cul-de-sac
Cukor, CUL8R, Culbertson, culch, culchie, cul-de-sac, -cule, Culebra Cut, Culebra Peak, culet, culex
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cul-de-sac in a sentence
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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