cul-de-sac
noun/ˈkʌl də sæk/
/ˈkʌl də sæk/
(plural cul-de-sacs
(from French)/ˈkʌl də sæks/
/ˈkʌl də sæks/
, culs-de-sac /ˈkʌl də sæk/
/ˈkʌl də sæk/
)- a street that is closed at one end
- We live in a quiet cul-de-sac.
- (figurative) This particular brand of socialism had entered a cul-de-sac (= could make no further progress).
Word Originmid 18th cent. (originally in anatomy): French, literally ‘bottom of a sack’.Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
cul-de-sac