cul-de-sac
UK[ˌkʊl də ˈsæk]US[ˌkʊl də ˈsæk]
n
A street or passage closed at one end; a dead end.
n
A situation that leads nowhere or offers no escape from a problem.
Morpheme Breakdown
cul
de
sac
cul
sense
de
sense
sac
sense
Etymology
The term 'cul-de-sac' is a direct loan from French, literally meaning 'bottom of the bag'. It entered English in the 18th century as an architectural term to describe a street that is closed at one end, resembling the closed bottom of a sack. The logic is purely metaphorical, comparing the inability to pass through the end of the street to the closed end of a bag. This vivid imagery was later extended to describe any situation from which there is no exit or progress, solidifying its place in both literal and figurative English usage.
Analysis
Structure: cul (sense) + de (sense) + sac (sense)
- cul: From Old French 'cul', meaning 'bottom' or 'backside'. Origin: Latin 'culus', meaning 'anus, bottom'.
- de: From Old French 'de', meaning 'of'. Origin: Latin 'de', a preposition meaning 'down from, of'.
- sac: From Old French 'sac', meaning 'bag' or 'sack'. Origin: Latin 'saccus', from Greek 'sakkos', meaning 'bag of coarse cloth'.
Examples
The children played safely in the quiet cul-de-sac.
The peace talks reached a political cul-de-sac, with neither side willing to compromise.
Their house is at the very end of a leafy cul-de-sac.