block

      See also Block

      English

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      Etymology

      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

      Noun

      block (plural blocks)

      1. A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
        • 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.
        A block of ice.
        A block of stone.
        Anne Boleyn placed her head on the block and awaited her execution.
      2. 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.
      3. A residential building consisting of flats.
        • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess[1]:
          He turned back to the scene before him and the enormous new block of council dwellings. The design was some way after Corbusier but the block was built up on plinths and resembled an Atlantic liner swimming diagonally across the site.
        A block of flats.
      4. 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.
      5. (slang) The human head.
        I'll knock your block off.
      6. A wig block: a simplified head model upon which wigs are worn.
        • 1851, Herman Melville, {{w|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.
      7. A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end.
        A block of 100 tickets.
      8. (nautical) Used with ropes or cables to facilitate lifting loads.
      9. (computing) A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors (see cluster).
      10. (computing) A region of code in a program that acts as a single unit, such as a function or loop.
      11. (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.
      12. (chemistry) A portion of a macromolecule, comprising many units, that has at least one feature not present in adjacent portions.
      13. Something that prevents something from passing (see blockage).
        There's a block in the pipe that means the water can't get through.
      14. (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.
      15. (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.
      16. (volleyball) A defensive play by one or more players meant to deflect a spiked ball back to the hitter’s court.
      17. (philately) A joined group of four (or in some cases nine) postage stamps, forming a roughly square shape.
      18. A section of split logs used as fuel.
      19. Common misspelling of bloc.

      Synonyms

      Related terms

      Derived terms

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

      Synonyms

      Translations

      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

      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

      terms derived from block (verb)

      Translations

      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
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      Manx

      Etymology

      Borrowing from English block.

      Noun

      block m (genitive bluick)

      1. block, log, cake (of soap)

      Derived terms

      Mutation

      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.
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      Swedish

      Pronunciation

      Noun

      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

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

      Related terms

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      Last modified on 17 June 2013, at 21:26