cul-de-sac

views updated May 29 2018

cul-de-sac / ˈkəl di ˌsak/ • n. (pl. cul-de-sacs or culs-de-sac / ˈkəl(z)/ ) a street or passage closed at one end. ∎ fig. a route or course leading nowhere: the pro-democracy forces found themselves in a political cul-de-sac. ∎ Anat. a vessel, tube, or sac, e.g., the cecum, open at only one end.

cul-de-sac

views updated May 21 2018

cul-de-sac (anat.) vessel, etc., open at only one end XVIII; blind alley XIX. — F., lit. ‘bottom of the sack’.

cul-de-sac

views updated May 21 2018

cul-de-sac. Alley, lane, passage, street, etc., closed at one end, with no exit except the entrance.