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.
Nearby words
cuitlacoche, cuittle, cuj., cuke, cukor, cul-de-sac, cul8r, culbertson, culbertson, ely, culch, culchie
Origin of cul-de-sac
1730–40; < French: literally, bottom of the sack
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples 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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for cul-de-sac
cul-de-sac
1738, as an anatomical term, from French cul-de-sac, literally "bottom of a sack," from Latin culus "bottom" (for second element, see sack (n.1)). Application to streets and alleys is from 1800.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for cul-de-sac
cul-de-sac
[ kŭl′dĭ-săk′, kul′- ]
n. pl. culs-de-sac (kŭlz′-, kulz′-)
A saclike cavity or tube open only at one end.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.