Impasse literally means "no passing" in French — and English adopted it because saying "we've reached an impasse" sounds more dignified than "we're stuck."
A situation in which no progress is possible; a deadlock. Also, a road or passage with no exit; a dead end.
From French impasse (dead end, blind alley), from in- (not) + passer (to pass), formed on the model of French words for blocked passages. The figurative sense of a situation with no solution was present from the word's earliest French usage. Key roots: *passus (Latin: "step
The word impasse is interesting linguistically because it was created within French using Latin elements — it's not a word that existed in Latin itself. French formed it as a negative of passer (to pass), creating a word that literally means "no-passing." The word became particularly popular in English diplomatic and political writing