What does cul-de-sac mean literally?
A cul de sac is a dead-end street, particularly one with a circle for turning around at the end. The French cul de sac was originally an anatomical term meaning “vessel or tube with only one opening.” It literally means “bottom of a sack,” from the Latin culus, “bottom.”
What is a woman’s cul-de-sac?
The Pouch of Douglas (cul-de-sac or rectovaginal septum) is the space between the rectum and the uterus. This is the lowest part of the abdominal cavity.
Why is cul-de-sac bad?
A recent study suggests that living on a cul-de-sac can be hazardous to your health. Research conducted by Lawrence Frank at the University of British Columbia shows that lowering a neighborhood’s walkability increases the use of automobiles and, therefore, raises the air pollution and body mass index per capita.
What is a cul-de-sac in the body?
In everyday English a cul-de-sac is a blind alley, a dead-end street. In anatomy a cul-de-sac is a blind-ending pouch. The most well known is the rectouterine pouch between the uterus and rectum in the female. This pouch has clinical significance because it is the lowest point of the pelvic cavity of the female.
What is the end of a road called?
Suffixes for these types of streets include “court”, “close” or “place”. The term “cul-de-sac” generally only refers to a reasonably short street with a bulbous end, or even only to the end portion. A long road that is a no-through road and terminates abruptly is usually called a dead end.
Why do I have fluid in my uterus?
Many women will have some amount of fluids in the uterus, and this is not always a cause for concern. Everything from leftover menstrual blood to normal bodily secretions can cause fluid to appear on an ultrasound.
How do you get rid of fluid in your pelvis?
The process of removing the fluid is called paracentesis, and it is performed with a long, thin needle. A sample of the fluid will be sent to the lab for testing to determine the cause. The excess fluid can be caused by cancer, cirrhosis, infection, inflammation, injury, or other conditions.
Are dead end streets safer?
Dead ends are traditionally considered safer traffic environments for children than normal streets, but research shows that areas with many dead ends in fact have higher rates of traffic accidents involving young children.
Are cul-de-sacs safe?
Safety. Because of its reduced presence to thru-traffic in a neighborhood, living in a cul de sac is safer on several levels. From the perspective of burglary, theft, or vandalism, criminals will prefer residential targets with an easier escape route—something a cul de sac does not allow for quite as easily.
What do you call a dead end street?
Dead-end streets offer the good life But please, call them cul-de-sacs today. We now simply call them cul-de-sacs — a French term meaning “bottom of a sack.” Webster’s New World Dictionary defines the term as a passage or position with only one outlet.
What is posterior cul-de-sac?
The posterior cul-de-sac is found between the uterus and the rectum. They are also called the excavatio recto-uterina (posterior) and excavatio vesico-uterina (anterior). Another term for cul-de-sacs is pouch of Douglas, named after the Scottish anatomist James Douglas.
What is the meaning of the word cul de sac?
cul-de-sac – Literally French for “bottom of a sack,” it also means “situation from which there is no escape”; it can be pluralized as cul-de-sacs or culs-de-sac. See also related terms for sack.
What are the benefits of a cul-de-sac?
And evidence has continued to mount on the benefits of cul-de-sacs, both in terms of traffic safety, quality of life, and beyond. One study by the University of California, Davis found that children living in cul-de-sacs played outdoors longer; another study by Duke found that cul-de-sacs deter crime.
Is there free fluid in the cul de sac?
Your gynecologist or fertility specialist may report that an ultrasound has detected free fluid in your cul-de-sac area. This is an area just behind the vagina. Learn the different causes and concerns about this finding.