Plural of deadlock; multiple situations or locks where complete standstills occur.
From 'deadlock' (complete standstill or an absolute lock) pluralized with '-s'. The plural form allows discussion of multiple instances of either the mechanical locks or figurative stalemate situations.
The interesting thing about 'deadlocks' is that it bridges two completely different meanings—you can have a deadlock (mechanical fixture), deadlock (stalemate), and they're spelled identically, showing how one metaphor can expand to totally new domains.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.