cul-de-sac
/ˌkʌldəˈsæk/
noun
Origin
French
cul de sac — bottom of a sack
Overview
Meaning Now
- A street or passage closed at one end; a dead-end street.
- A situation in which no further progress can be made; a blind alley.
Literal older meaning
bottom of a bag
Language path
Old French → French → English
Earliest form
cul-de-sac
Earliest period
18th century
Journey
The term originated in French as a literal description for a bag that could only be opened at one end. By the 18th century, it was used to describe narrow city streets that lacked a through-way. In British English, it is often synonymous with 'no-through road'.
Evolution
- Old French (12th century)
cul
“bottom, posterior”
Derived from Latin 'culus'.
- Middle French (15th century)
cul de sac
“bottom of a sack/bag”
Used to denote a dead end in a street.
- Modern English (18th century)
cul-de-sac
“dead-end street”
Direct loanword from French.
Connections
Word parts
cul
root
bottom
de
other
of
sac
root
sack/bag
Related across languages
French
dead end
Italian
vicolo cieco
blind alley
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.