Thursday, February 25, 2010

I did not know that Impasse was French... that is where we are, Folks....


im·passe (mps)
n.
1. A road or passage having no exit; a cul-de-sac.
2. A situation that is so difficult that no progress can be made; a deadlock or a stalemate: reached an impasse in the negotiations.

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[French : in-, not (from Latin in-; see in-1) + passe, a passing (from Old French, from passer, to pass; see pass).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


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impasse [æmˈpɑːs ˈæmpɑːs ɪmˈpɑːs ˈɪmpɑːs]
n
a situation in which progress is blocked; an insurmountable difficulty; stalemate; deadlock
[from French; see im-, pass]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 6th Edition 2003. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

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