cul-de-sac

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a street, passage, or route closed at one end

   The lane narrowed into a cul-de-sac behind the old mill.

2. 2
   noun

   a situation from which no further progress is possible

   Without new evidence, the investigation had reached a cul-de-sac.

3. 3
   noun

   an anatomical tube, pouch, or cavity that is open at only one end

   The scan showed inflammation in a small cul-de-sac behind the organ.

Borrowed from French cul-de-sac, literally "bottom of a sack," from cul ("bottom"), de ("of"), and sac ("bag"). English extended the closed-container image to blocked routes and situations.

Topics