Added 9 October 2026
block
/blɒk/ noun
In Latin: obstruō Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about block at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
To fill or obstruct (something) so that it is not possible to pass.
The pipe was blocked by leaves.
-
To prevent (something or someone) from passing.
A broken-down car is blocking the traffic.
-
To prevent (something from happening or someone from doing something).
His plan to take over the business was blocked by the boss.
noun
- Misspelling of bloc.
Origin
From Middle English blok (“log, stump, solid piece”), from Old French bloc (“log, block”), from Middle Dutch blok (“treetrunk”), from Old Dutch *blok (“log”), from Proto-West Germanic *blokk, from Proto-Germanic *blukką (“beam, log”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- (“thick plank, beam, pile, prop”). Cognate with Old Frisian blok, Old Saxon blok, Old High German bloh, bloc (“block”), Old English bolca (“gangway of a ship, plank”), Old Norse bǫlkr (“divider, partition”). More at balk. See also bloc, bulk.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)