block

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Contents

English [edit]

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Etymology [edit]

From Middle English blok (“log, stump, solid piece”), from Old French bloc (“log, block”), from Middle Dutch blok (“treetrunk”), from Old Saxon *blok (“log”), from Proto-Germanic *blukką (“beam, log”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhulg'-, from *bhelg'- (“thick plank, beam, pile, prop”). Cognate with Old High German bloh, bloc (German Block, “block”), Old English bolca (“gangway of a ship, plank”), Old Norse bǫlkr (Norwegian bolk, “divider, partition”). More at balk.

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

block (plural blocks)

  1. A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
    A block of ice.
    A block of stone.
  2. A chopping block; a cuboid of wood, plastic or other material used as a base on which to cut something.
    Anne Boleyn placed her head on the block and awaited her execution.
    • 1945, George Orwell, Animal Farm, chapter 1
      You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year.
  3. A group of urban lots of property, several acres in extent, not crossed by public streets.
    I'm going for a walk around the block.
  4. A residential building consisting of flats.
    A block of flats.
  5. The distance from one street to another in a city that is built (approximately) to a grid pattern.
    The place you are looking for is two long blocks east and one short block north.
  6. (slang) The human head;
    I'll knock your block off.
  7. A wig block: a simplified head model upon which wigs are worn.
    • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 13
      Next morning, Monday, after disposing of the embalmed head to a barber, for a block, I settled my own and comrade’s bill; using, however, my comrade’s money.
  8. A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end.
    A block of 100 tickets.
  9. (nautical) Used with ropes or cables to facilitate lifting loads.
  10. (computing) A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors (see cluster).
  11. (computing) A region of code in a program that acts as a single unit, such as a function or loop.
  12. (rigging) A case with one or more sheaves/pulleys, used with ropes to increase or redirect force, for example, as part of the rigging of a sailing ship.
  13. (chemistry) A portion of a macromolecule, comprising many units, that has at least one feature not present in adjacent portions.
  14. Something that prevents something from passing (see blockage).
    There's a block in the pipe that means the water can't get through.
  15. (sports) An action to interfere with the movement of an opposing player or of the object of play (ball, puck).
    • 2011 February 12, Oliver Brett, “Sunderland 1–2 Tottenham”, BBC:
      The match proved an unedifying spectacle until Spurs won a corner following their first move of real quality, John Mensah making an important block with Jermain Defoe poised to strike.
  16. (cricket) A shot played by holding the bat vertically in the path of the ball, so that it loses momentum and drops to the ground.
  17. (volleyball) A defensive play by one or more players meant to deflect a spiked ball back to the hitter’s court.
  18. (philately) A joined group of four (or in some cases nine) postage stamps, forming a roughly square shape.
  19. A section of split logs used as fuel.
  20. Common misspelling of bloc.

Synonyms [edit]

Related terms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Terms derived from block (noun)
cuboid
group of buildings
computing
distance
cutting base
prevent passage
rigging
human head
volleyball
miscellaneous

Synonyms [edit]

Translations [edit]

substantial piece
chopping block; cuboid base for cutting
group of buildings demarcated by streets
residential building consisting of flats
distance from one street to another
slang:human head
set of paper sheets
computing: data storage unit
computing: region of code
part of a ship's rigging
chemistry: portion of macromolecule
something that prevents passing
sports: action to interfere
certain cricket shot
volleyball: defensive play
philately: joined group of stamps, forming square
section of split log
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb [edit]

block (third-person singular simple present blocks, present participle blocking, simple past and past participle blocked)

  1. (transitive) To fill (something) so that it is not possible to pass.
    The pipe is blocked.
  2. (transitive) To prevent (something or someone) from passing.
    You're blocking the road – I can't get through.
  3. (transitive) To prevent (something from happening or someone from doing something).
    His plan to take over the business was blocked by the boss.
  4. (transitive, sports) To impede an opponent.
    He blocked the basketball player's shot.
    The offensive linemen tried to block the blitz.
  5. (transitive, theater) To specify the positions and movements of the actors.
    It was very difficult to block this scene convincingly.
  6. (transitive, cricket) To hit with a block.
  7. (intransitive, cricket) To play a block shot.
  8. (transitive) To disable communication via telephone, instant messaging, etc., with an undesirable someone.
    I tried to send you a message, but you've blocked me!
  9. (computing) (intransitive) To wait.
    When the condition expression is false, the thread blocks on the condition variable.
  10. (transitive) To stretch or mould (a knitted item, a hat, etc.) into the desired shape.
    I blocked the mittens by wetting them and pinning them to a shaped piece of cardboard.

Related terms [edit]

terms derived from block (verb)

Translations [edit]

to fill
to prevent passing
to prevent an action
impeding action
to specify positions and movements of actors
to use the cricket shot block
to not answer a person on the phone

Manx [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From English block.

Noun [edit]

block m (genitive bluick)

  1. block, log, cake (of soap)

Derived terms [edit]

Mutation [edit]

Manx mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
block vlock mlock
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Swedish [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

block n

  1. a block, a boulder, a cuboid (of ice, wood, rock)
  2. a block, a pad, a notebook
  3. a block, a pulley
  4. a block, a piece of data storage
  5. a bloc (of voters or countries)

Declension [edit]

Declension of block
singular plural
Neuter indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative block blocket block blocken
genitive blocks blockets blocks blockens

Related terms [edit]

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