World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English Dictionariesembouteillage généralisé
Pronunciation / Transliteration: /ɑ̃.bu.tɛ.jaʒ ʒe.ne.ʁa.li.ze/
"La grève a provoqué un embouteillage généralisé dans toute la ville."
Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
A traffic jam in which a grid of intersecting streets becomes completely blocked, preventing vehicle movement in any direction.
"The sudden downpour caused massive gridlock across the downtown commercial district during rush hour." - 2
A situation of severe blockages or paralysis where no progress or agreement can be reached, typically in politics or legislation.
"Deep partisan divisions in parliament led to total legislative gridlock, halting all major reforms."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Coined in the United States in the late 1970s as a compound of 'grid' (referring to a grid pattern of city streets) and 'lock' (indicating fastening or immovable stoppage). Originally describing absolute traffic paralysis where vehicles block intersecting streets in a grid system, the term's semantic scope expanded metaphorically during the 1980s to describe political or institutional stalemates.
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10 Global Lexicons: How "Gridlock" is said worldwide
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embouteillage généralisé
Transliteration: /ɑ̃.bu.tɛ.jaʒ ʒe.ne.ʁa.li.ze/
"La grève a provoqué un embouteillage généralisé dans toute la ville."
Verkehrskollaps
Transliteration: /fɛɐ̯ˈkeːɐ̯kɔˌlaps/
"Der Unfall führte zu einem massiven Verkehrskollaps im Berufsverkehr."
paralisi
Transliteration: /pa.raˈli.zi/
"I disaccordi politici hanno causato una completa paralisi istituzionale."
colapso circulatorio
Transliteration: /koˈlap.so siɾ.ku.laˈto.ɾjo/
"Las fuertes lluvias provocaron un colapso circulatorio en la capital."
congestionamento total
Transliteration: /kõ.ʒɛs.tjo.naˈmẽ.tu toˈtaɫ/
"O acidente na ponte gerou um congestionamento total."
पूर्ण अवरोध
Transliteration: purna avarodh
"संसद में गतिरोध के कारण कोई नया बिल पास नहीं हो सका।"
交通瘫痪
Transliteration: jiāotōng tānhuàn
"罢工导致城市交通瘫痪。"
교통 마비
Transliteration: gyotong mabi
"폭설로 인해 도시 전체가 교통 마비 상태에 빠졌다."
行詰まり
Transliteration: yukizumari
Script: 行き詰まり
"政治的な行き詰まりが経済改革を遅らせている。"
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