Cul-de-sac

Cul-de-sac
A viewer writes regarding the term "cul-de-sac": "I know we live on one. Is there a medical meaning for it?" The answer is of course: "Yes" (or you'd not be reading this here). An anatomic cul-de-sac is a blind pouch or cavity that is closed at one end. Examples of culs-de-sac in the intestine: Colonic diverticulum, a small bulging sac that pushes outward from the colon wall; such diverticuli are the hallmark of diverticulosis; Meckel's diverticulum, a single outpouching of the small intestine that occurs in about 1 in every 50 people; and The cecum, the first part of the colon, to which the appendix is attached. (The word "cecum" is from the Latin "caecus" meaning "blind" since the bottom of the cecum is a blind pouch, a cul de sac, leading nowhere). Cul-de-sac, aside from being any "blind pouch or cavity that is closed at one end," is used specifically to refer to the rectouterine pouch (the pouch of Douglas), an extension of the peritoneal cavity between the rectum and back wall of the uterus. From that fact comes: Culdoscopy, the introduction of an endoscope through the vagina into the cul-de-sac; Culdoscope, the viewing tube (endoscope) that is used to look into the cul-de-sac; and Culdocentesis, the aspiration (withdrawal) of fluid from the cul- de-sac. In French, "cul-de-sac" literally is "bottom of (a) sack." As early as the 13th century, a cul-de-sac was a dead-end street (or a dead-end way), a blind alley. The third letter in "cul" is silent in French; in English it is spoken. So, in French "cul" is pronounced "ku" and in English "kul".
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1. A blind pouch or tubular cavity closed at one end; e.g., diverticulum; cecum. 2. SYN: rectouterine pouch. [Fr. bottom of a sack]
- conjunctival cul-de-sac SYN: conjunctival fornix.
- Douglas cul-de-sac SYN: rectouterine pouch.
- greater cul-de-sac SYN: fundus of stomach.
- lesser cul-de-sac SYN: pyloric antrum.

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cul-de-sac 'kəl-di-.sak, 'ku̇l-; .kəl-di-', .ku̇l- n, pl culs-de-sac 'kəl(z)-, 'ku̇l(z)-, .kəl(z)-, .ku̇l(z)- also cul-de-sacs -.saks, -'saks
1) a blind diverticulum or pouch also the closed end of such a pouch
2) POUCH OF DOUGLAS

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(kul″də-sakґ) [Fr. “dead-end street”] a blind pouch or cecum; a tubular cavity closed at one end, such as a diverticulum.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • cul-de-sac — [ kyd(ə)sak ] n. m. • déb. XIIIe; de cul et sac 1 ♦ Rue sans issue. ⇒ impasse. « Un dédale inextricable de ruelles, de carrefours et de culs de sac » (Hugo). Couloir, galerie se terminant en cul de sac. 2 ♦ Fig. Carrière, entreprise sans issue,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Cul de sac — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cul-De-Sac — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda «Cul De Sac» Canción de Genesis álbum Duke (álbum) Publicación 28 de marzo 1980 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Cul-de-sac — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Una cul de sac en un suburbio de Sacramento, California Cul de sac es una expresión de origen francés que traducida literalmente, signfica culo de saco. Sin embargo, el término se emplea para designar a …   Wikipedia Español

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  • Cul-de-sac — (ku de s?k or kul de s?k ), n.; pl. {Culs de sac} (ku or kulz ). [ F., lit., bottom of a bag.] [1913 Webster] 1. A passage with only one outlet, as a street closed at one end; a blind alley; hence, a trap. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mil.) a position in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cul-de-sac — s.m.inv. ES fr. {{wmetafile0}} 1. situazione priva di vie d uscita Sinonimi: culdisacco, vicolo cieco. 2. TS anat. cavità cieca, cul de sac peritoneale Sinonimi: culdisacco. {{line}} {{/line}} DATA: 1905 …   Dizionario italiano

  • cul-de-sac — [ˈkʌl də ˌsæk, ˈkul US ˌkʌl də ˈsæk, ˌkul ] n [Date: 1800 1900; : French; Origin: bottom of the bag ] 1.) a road which is closed at one end, so that there is only one way in and out 2.) an unhelpful situation in which you cannot make any more… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • cul-de-sac — [ ,kʌl də sæk, ,kul də sæk ] noun count 1. ) a short street closed at one end, so traffic cannot pass through it 2. ) a situation in which you can make no more progress or from which you cannot escape: The government has backed itself into… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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