# dead end



## AndrasBP

Hello,

What do you call a '*dead end*' (a street with no exit) in your language?

In Hungarian we say '*zsákutca*' /ˈʒaːkutsːɒ/, which literally means 'sack street'.


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## TheCrociato91

Italian

_Strada senza uscita_ (street with no exit).
We also have the phrase _vicolo cieco_ (blind alley) but this is often used with a metaphorical meaning (an impasse, or a situation with no way out).


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## Penyafort

In Catalan, I know three ways:

*carreró sense sortida *(_or_* carreró que no passa*)* = '*alley without exit'​*cul-de-sac =* 'sack bottom'​*atzucac *= from Arabic _az-zuqaaq _'the alleyway'​


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## AndrasBP

Penyafort said:


> *atzucac *= from Arabic _az-zuqaaq _'the alleyway'


Interesting. The word 'sokak', derived from the same Arabic word, is also used in Turkish and South Slavic languages. 
Is 'atzucac' used in Catalan only or is there a Spanish equivalent, too?


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## Welsh_Sion

*Welsh

stryd pengaead*
street head/end closed
'dead-end street'

*ffordd bengoll*
way head/end lost
'cul-de-sac'


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## Perseas

The Greek word for "dead end" is *"αδιέξοδο"*  [a∂iékso∂o]. It is a nominalized adjective: alpha privative + διέξοδος=way out, outlet, exit.


AndrasBP said:


> The word 'sokak', derived from the same Arabic word, is also used in Turkish and South Slavic languages.


In Greek also, and it's very common: _σοκάκι_ (small and narrow road).


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## Penyafort

AndrasBP said:


> Is 'atzucac' used in Catalan only or is there a Spanish equivalent, too?



No, as far as I know. In fact, the only word for dead end in Spanish I know is *callejón sin salida*.

Catalan has fewer Arabisms than Spanish or Portuguese but there are too some Arabisms in Catalan you won't find in either Spanish or Portuguese.


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## jazyk

Rua/beco sem saída in Portuguese.


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## rarabara

we say "*çıkmaz sokak*" in turkish and something like *ریا ب را* or *ریا ب دەر* in kurdish maybe ,in some other dialect of kurdish be *ریاە با بارات (*in very unpleased cases (e.g.: when big problems are thought/considered/predicted to happen(this might be more common in syrian dialect))


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## Awwal12

In Russian it's тупик (tupík), apparently from adj. тупой (tupóy) - "blunt".


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## TitTornade

French

_voie sans issue _(way with no exit)
or
_cul-de-sac _(bottom/ass of bag) pronounced /kytsak/
or
_impasse_ ("no pass")


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## Encolpius

Hello Andy, here is a very nice list of translations.


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## zaffy

We call it 'blind street/road'


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## Armas

Finnish: *umpikuja* where _umpi-_ means closed, blocked, without any openings and _kuja_ "alley"


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## swift

Penyafort said:


> In fact, the only word for dead end in Spanish I know is *callejón sin salida*.


There’s also “adarve”, which I only know from dictionaries and literature. Here’s the WR entry: dead end. “Calle” (feminine) instead of “callejón” (masculine) is also possible. 


zaffy said:


> We call it 'blind street/road'


Ok, but what’s the Polish phrase? 😜

In Spanish, “calle ciega” could also work in some places.


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## DEHER

In German, "das ist eine *Sackgasse*".


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## zaffy

swift said:


> Ok, but what’s the Polish phrase?



'Ślepa ulica', which means 'blind street'



DEHER said:


> In German, "das ist eine *Sackgasse*".


And what does it mean?


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## DEHER

Sackgasse = impasse !


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## Penyafort

swift said:


> There’s also “adarve”, which I only know from dictionaries and literature.



Interesting! I knew the word but to me, an *adarve *was simply the narrow corridor on top of a wall, from where guards are watching over (I don't know how it is called in English). I didn't know it could also be used for a dead end.


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## Welsh_Sion

Penyafort said:


> Interesting! I knew the word but to me, an *adarve *was simply the narrow corridor on top of a wall, from where guards are watching over (I don't know how it is called in English). I didn't know it could also be used for a dead end.



*adarve* = rampart, parapet, chemin de ronde ... they all see to be 'English' words to what you allude to.


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## atcheque

DEHER said:


> Sackgasse = impasse !


Très pratique dans un fil qui s'appelle déjà _dead end_  


zaffy said:


> And what does it mean?


Sack : sack ; Gasse : street.
*ajout


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## ThomasK

Encolpius said:


> Hello Andy, here is a very nice list of translations.


Great list, but I miss back-ground information, morphological or etymological...


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## L'irlandais

In Ireland, as for rest of UK the Cul de sac road sign is fairly widespread.

In the Irish language we say
bealach caoch literally way blind
bóthar caoch = road blind
clós ~ = blind alley

Curiously, also exists for pedestrians
Cosán caoch - blind path (still the inversion in Irish)


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## Encolpius

ThomasK said:


> Great list, but I miss back-ground information, morphological or etymological...



András did not ask for any back-ground information, morphological nor etymological. You get what you ask for, right?


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## nimak

*Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Bulgarian:*




rarabara said:


> we say "*çıkmaz sokak*" in turkish



In Macedonian, Serbian, and Croatian is used the Turkism:

Macedonian: *ќорсокак* (ḱorsokak) ['cɔrsɔkak] m.
Serbian / Croatian: *ћорсокак* / *ćorsokak* [tɕorsǒkaːk] m.
from Ottoman Turkish *kör sokak* = _lit. "blind street", "blind alley"_

*kör*_, from Ottoman Turkish كور‎ (kör), from Persian کور‎ (kur)_
*sokak*, f_rom Ottoman Turkish سوقاق‎ (sokak), from Arabic زُقَاق‎ (zuqāq)_



zaffy said:


> 'Ślepa ulica', which means 'blind street'



Macedonian, Serbian and Slovenian also use: *слепа улица* / *slepa ulica*
Croatian: *slijepa ulica*
Bulgarian: *задънена улица* (zadŭnena ulica), and rarely *сляпа улица* (sljapa ulica)


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## rarabara

nimak said:


> from Ottoman Turkish *kör sokak* = _lit. "blind street", "blind alley"_
> 
> *kör*_, from Ottoman Turkish كور‎ (kör), from Persian کور‎ (kur)_
> *sokak*, f_rom Ottoman Turkish سوقاق‎ (sokak), from Arabic زُقَاق‎ (zuqāq)_


"blind street" ("kör sokak") is no longer used in turkey for that aim. but if you use jargon ,then no problem to use it.


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## Rafeind

In Icelandic it is _botnlangi _= lit. appendix (as in the organ).


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## Nizo

In Esperanto: _*sakstrato *_(sack street)


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