cul-de-sac

 
Pronunciation: /ˈkʌldəˌsak, ˈkʊl-/

noun (plural culs-de-sac or cul-de-sacs pronunc. or /-ˌsaks/)

  • a street or passage closed at one end.
  • a route or course leading nowhere: was the new post a career cul-de-sac?
  • Anatomy a vessel, tube, or sac open at only one end.

Origin:

mid 18th century (originally in anatomy): French, literally 'bottom of a sack'