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balk

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See also: Balk

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

From Middle English balke, from Old English balca, either from or influenced by Old Norse bálkr (“partition, ridge of land”),[1] from Proto-Germanic *balkô. Cognate with Dutch balk (“balk”), German Balken (“balk”), Italian balcone (“balcony”).

Alternative forms

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Noun

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balk (plural balks)

  1. (agriculture) An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing.
    • 1647, Tho[mas] Fuller, “Scripture Observations”, in Good Thoughts in Worse Times. […], London: […] W. W. for John Williams […], →OCLC, section XVI (Text improved), page 89:
      How fruitfull are the ſeeming Barren places of Scripture. Bad Plow-men, which make Balkes of ſuch Ground.
  2. (archaeology) The wall of earth at the edge of an excavation.
  4. Beam, crossbeam; squared timber; a tie beam of a house, stretching from wall to wall, especially when laid so as to form a loft, "the balks".
  5. A hindrance or disappointment; a check.
    • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
      , "Concealment of Sin"
      a balk to the confidence of the bold undertaker
  6. A sudden and obstinate stop.
    Synonym: failure
  7. (obsolete) An omission.
  8. (sports) A deceptive motion.
    Synonym: feint
    1. (baseball) An illegal motion by the pitcher, intended to deceive a runner.
    2. (badminton) A motion used to deceive the opponent during a serve.
  9. (billiards) The area of the table lying behind the line from which the cue ball is initially shot, and from which a ball in hand must be played.
  10. (snooker) The area of the table lying behind the baulk line.
  11. (fishing) The rope by which fishing nets are fastened together.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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balk (third-person singular simple present balks, present participle balking, simple past and past participle balked)

  1. To be unwilling to do something; to refuse to proceed or do or allow something, either in general or only temporarily.
    balked at paying a day's wages for a pencil; he said he would buy her one, but when he saw the price, he balked
    • 2004, Derek Hart, Tidal Trap, page 114:
      Carla balked for a moment, but when the badge and identification was produced, she acquiesced immediately. "Of course, Director, what can I do for you?"
  2. (especially of a horse, mule, etc) To stop short and refuse to go on or do something (such as jump).
    Synonym: jib
    The horse balked.
    • 1974, Sharon Salvato, Briarcliff Manor: A Novel, page 107:
      "Her horse balked at the jump and threw her," said Michael.
    • 1995, Temple Grandin, Thinking in Pictures, page 6:
      I’ve seen cattle that were handled in two identical facilities easily walk through one and balk in the other.
  3. To move fitfully, stopping frequently.
    • 1915, L. J. Dickinson, John O' Dreams, page 80:
      The horses balked up the canyon, / But we made it with half a load. / Got to the top with panniers. / Went back for the bedding stowed.
    • 1993, Susan C. Feldhake, Seasons of the Heart, page 107:
      […] balked up the hills, then careened and slid on the downside, threatening to overturn.
    • 2006, Bret Lott, The Best Christian Short Stories, volume 1, page 127:
      […] thin road, gunning madly past the old rusty trucks balking up the mountain to Boulem while Badra drifted in and out of consciousness in the back.
  4. To leave or make a balk or balks (ridges) in; to leave a ridge in by leaving partly unploughed.
  5. To stop, check, block (by or as if by an obstacle); to hinder, impede, thwart.
    • 1733, William Congreve, The Old Batchelor: A Comedy, page 55:
      My Sport is always balkt, or cut short — I stumble over the Game me I would pursue —
    • 1867 [1855?], William Hickling Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, page 48:
      […] the sturdy cavalier was not to be balked in his purpose; […]
    • 1932, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World‎[1], London: Chatto & Windus:
      Balked for the second time, the passion of his grief had found another outlet, was transformed into a passion of agonized rage.
    • 1915 May, The National Engineer, volume 19, page 299:
      an incipient accretion of rotundity recently balked his entrance to a boiler wherein his expert scrutiny was imperatively demanded,
    • 1929, Francis Hackett, Henry the Eighth, page 211:
      […] had neither been balked nor been frightened by this overwhelming man.
  6. (possibly obsolete) To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles.
  7. (possibly obsolete) To pass over or by (either by chance or intentionally); to avoid in passing.
    • 1612, Joseph Hall, Contempl. N. T.:
      Jericho was in his way from Galilee to Jerusalem: he baulks it not, though it were outwardly cursed.
    • 1664, Lady R. Russell, Letters:
      I hope you will not balk Totteridge, if I am here.
    • 1773, “Exam.”, in North:
      Going to Lord Carendon ... baulking the Secretary.
    1. (possibly obsolete) To omit, miss, or overlook by chance, error, or inadvertance.
      Synonyms: miss, overlook
      • 1677, Owen Feltham, Resolves: Divine, Moral, Political. The tenth impression., page 46:
        […] you cannot baulk your Road without the hazard of drowning
    2. (possibly obsolete) To miss intentionally; to avoid, ignore, or shun.
      Synonyms: avoid, shun, refuse, shirk
      • 1612–1626, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in [Contemplations vpon the Principall Passages of the Holy Storie], volume (please specify |volume=II, V, or VI), London, →OCLC:
        Sick he is, and keeps his bed, and balks his meat.
      • 1627, Michaell [i.e., Michael] Drayton, “Nimphidia. The Court of Fayrie.”, in The Battaile of Agincourt. […], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for William Lee, […], →OCLC:
        Nor doth he any creature balk, / But lays on all he meeteth.
      • 1641 November 22 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 12 November 1641]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC:
        By reason of the contagion then in London, we balked the inns.
      • a. 1645 (date written), Fra[ncis] Quarles, The Virgin Widow. A Comedie, London: […] R[ichard] Royston, […], published 1649, →OCLC, Act II, page 33:
        I'le call ye to Accompt, and if ye bauke me, then / I ranſake ye out, and make ye underſtand / The ſharp-nail'd language of Quiſquilla's hand.
      • 1632, Effect. Faith, Preston:
        Thou must not balke the way of Religion
      • 1696, Robert Sanderson, Sermons:
        The spying of motes in our brother's eye, and baulking of beams in our own.
      • 1808 [original 1640?] Joseph Hall, Works: Polemical works, page 526:
        I may not balk two pregnant testimonies of the Fathers
  8. (possibly obsolete) To refuse or fail to use (something), either through error or intentionally.
    1. (possibly obsolete) To refuse (something).
      • 1587, Tuberv., Trag. T. (1837), page 230:
        And balke your bed for shame.
      • 1619, Fletcher, M. Thomas:
        A bait you cannot balk Sir.
      • 1649, Blith, Eng. Improv. Impr.:
        If the stalk grow big, cattell wil balk it.
      • 1784, Johnson, Boswell:
        I never ... balked an invitation
      • 1870 [?], William Cowper, The Poetical Works of William Cowper, page 90:
        such an age as ours balks no expense
    2. (possibly obsolete) To let (something) slip; to fail to use or seize or keep (something).
      to balk an opportunity
      • 1602, Shakspeare, Twelfth Night:
        This was look'd for at your hand, and this as baulkt.
      • 1697, Dryden, Virg. Georg.:
        If I balk'd this opportunity.
  9. To disappoint, frustrate, or check.
    Synonyms: frustrate, foil, baffle, thwart
    to balk expectation
    • 1777 [1692?], John Dryden, Original Poems, and Translations,: In Two Volumes [Rel. Laici?], page 223:
      Nor doth it balk my charity, to find Th' Egyptian bishop of another mind:
    • 1891 [1854?], William Makepeace Thackeray, The Complete Works of William Makepeace Thackeray, page 365:
      […] balk yourself of the pleasure of bullying and making her unhappy.
    • 1821, Lord Byron, “The Two Foscari, an Historical Tragedy”, in Sardanapalus, a Tragedy; The Two Foscari, a Tragedy; Cain, a Mystery, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 195:
      Well, / I know that none who enter there return / As they have enter'd—many never; but / They shall not balk my entrance.
  10. (possibly obsolete) To quibble or bandy words with; engage in opposing, contradicting, or arguing with.
  11. (intransitive, sports) To make a balk, a deceptive motion to deceive another player.
    • 2013, Aaron Wisewell, The Baseball Coach:
      The best advice you can receive regarding balking is to always maintain poise and composure on the mound.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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From Middle English balok, ballok (“knob”), from Old English bealluc (“testicle”, literally “little ball”). Doublet of ballock and bollocks.

Noun

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balk (plural balks)

  1. (UK dialectal) A small brass ornament fixed at the top of a wand.

References

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  • “balk”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “balk”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

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Dutch

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle Dutch balke, from Old Dutch *balco, from Proto-West Germanic *balkō, from Proto-Germanic *balkô.

Noun

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balk m (plural balken, diminutive balkje n)

  1. a beam, solid support
  2. (mathematics) a cuboid
  3. a section, icon et cetera in such rectangular shape
Derived terms
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- beam-shaped

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Descendants
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  • Afrikaans: balk
  • Negerhollands: balk
  • → Caribbean Javanese: baleg, balok
  • → Javanese: ꦧꦭꦺꦴꦏ꧀ (balok)
  • → Malay: balak
    • > Indonesian: balak (inherited)
  • → Papiamentu: balki (from the diminutive)
  • → Saramaccan: báíki
  • → Sranan Tongo: barki, balk
    • → Caribbean Hindustani: barki

Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

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balk

  1. inflection of balken:
    1. first-person singular present indicative
    2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
    3. imperative

Old Polish

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): (10th–15th CE) /baːlʲk/
  • IPA(key): (15th CE) /bɒlʲk/

Noun

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balk m animacy unattested

  1. alternative form of balka

Swedish

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Etymology

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From Old Swedish balker, from Old Norse bialki, bǫlkr, from Proto-Germanic *balkuz, from *balkô (“beam, plank”).

Noun

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balk c

  1. a wooden or metal beam
  2. (heraldry) a bend (diagonal band)
  3. (law) code (major section of legislation)
    brottsbalk
    criminal code
  4. (slang, vulgar) penis

Declension

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Declension of balk
nominative genitive
singular indefinite balk balks
definite balken balkens
plural indefinite balkar balkars
definite balkarna balkarnas

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Further reading

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  • “balk”, in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker [Dictionaries of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
  • balk in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Woiwurrung

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Alternative forms

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Noun

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balk

  1. bladder[3]
  2. urine[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 B. J. Blake, Woiwurrung: The Melbourne Language, 1991, pg83
  2. ^ https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/server/api/core/bitstreams/f4512721-7645-4722-90b8-168541d38240/content
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/The_aborigines_of_Victoria_-_with_notes_relating_to_the_habits_of_the_natives_of_other_parts_of_Australia_and_Tasmania_%28IA_b24885228_0002%29.pdf
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