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, culdocentesis, culdoplasty, culdoscope, culdoscopy, -cule
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences 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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Medical 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.