Cul-de-sac

A cul-de-sac in Sacramento, California

A cul-de-sac (literally "bottom of bag") is a word that came from the French language and means a small street without a way through at the far end. It is also used in Catalan and Occitan, its meaning being equivalent to a dead end, close, or no through road (United Kingdom, Australian and Canadian English). While culs-de-sac were built in history for other reasons, its modern use is to calm down the traffic.