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/ (Show IPA)
1.
a street, lane, etc., closed at one end; blind alley; dead-end street.
2.
any situation in which further progress is impossible.
3.
the hemming in of a military force on all sides except behind.
4.
Anatomy. a saclike cavity, tube, or the like, open only at one end, as the cecum.
Origin
1730-40; < French: literally, bottom of the sack
British Dictionary definitions for cul-de-sac

cul-de-sac

/ˈkʌldəˌsæk; ˈkʊl-/
noun (pl) culs-de-sac, cul-de-sacs
1.
a road with one end blocked off; dead end
2.
an inescapable position
3.
any tube-shaped bodily cavity or pouch closed at one end, such as the caecum
Word Origin
C18: from French, literally: bottom of the bag
Word Origin and History for cul-de-sac
n.

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.

cul-de-sac in Medicine

cul-de-sac (kŭl'dĭ-sāk', kul'-)
n. pl. culs-de-sac (kŭlz'-, kulz'-) or cul-de-sacs
A saclike cavity or tube open only at one end.