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Webster 1913 Edition

Block

Block

(blŏk)
,
Noun.
[OE.
blok
; cf. F.
bloc
(fr. OHG.), D. & Dan.
blok
, Sw. & G.
block
, OHG.
bloch
. There is also an OHG.
bloch
,
biloh
;
bi
by + the same root as that of E.
lock
. Cf.
Block
,
Verb.
T.
,
Blockade
, and see
Lock
.]
1.
A piece of wood more or less bulky; a solid mass of wood, stone, etc., usually with one or more plane, or approximately plane, faces;
as, a
block
on which a butcher chops his meat; a
block
by which to mount a horse; children’s playing
blocks
, etc.
Now all our neighbors' chimneys smoke,
And Christmas
blocks
are burning.
Wither.
All her labor was but as a
block

Left in the quarry.
Tennyson.
2.
The solid piece of wood on which condemned persons lay their necks when they are beheaded.
Noble heads which have been brought to the
block
.
E. Everett.
3.
The wooden mold on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped.
Hence:
The pattern or shape of a hat.
He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next
block
.
Shakespeare
4.
A large or long building divided into separate houses or shops, or a number of houses or shops built in contact with each other so as to form one building; a row of houses or shops.
5.
A square, or portion of a city inclosed by streets, whether occupied by buildings or not.
The new city was laid out in rectangular
blocks
, each
block
containing thirty building lots. Such an average
block
, comprising 282 houses and covering nine acres of ground, exists in Oxford Street.
Lond. Quart. Rev.
6.
A grooved pulley or sheave incased in a frame or shell which is provided with a hook, eye, or strap, by which it may be attached to an object. It is used to change the direction of motion, as in raising a heavy object that can not be conveniently reached, and also, when two or more such sheaves are compounded, to change the rate of motion, or to exert increased force; – used especially in the rigging of ships, and in tackles.
7.
(Falconry)
The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.
8.
Any obstruction, or cause of obstruction; a stop; a hindrance; an obstacle; – also called
blockage
;
as, a
block
in the way; a
block
in an artery; a
block
in a nerve
; a
block
in a biochemical pathway.
9.
A piece of box or other wood for engravers' work.
10.
(Print.)
A piece of hard wood (as mahogany or cherry) on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted to make it type high.
11.
A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt.
[Obs.]
What a
block
art thou !
Shakespeare
12.
A section of a railroad where the block system is used. See
Block system
, below.

Block

(blŏk)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Blocked
(blŏkt)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Blocking
.]
[Cf. F.
bloquer
, fr.
bloc
block. See
Block
,
Noun.
]
1.
To obstruct so as to prevent passage or progress; to prevent passage from, through, or into, by obstructing the way; – used both of persons and things; – often followed by up;
as, to
block
up a road or harbor; to
block
an entrance
.
With moles . . . would
block
the port.
Rowe.
A city . . . besieged and
blocked
about.
Milton.
2.
To secure or support by means of blocks; to secure, as two boards at their angles of intersection, by pieces of wood glued to each.
3.
To shape on, or stamp with, a block;
as, to
block
a hat
.
To block out
,
to begin to reduce to shape; to mark out roughly; to lay out; to outline;
as, to
block out
a plan
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Block

BLOCK

, n.
1.
A heavy piece of timber or wood, usually with one plain surface;or it is rectangular, and rather thick than long.
2.
Any mass of matter with an extended surface; as a block of marble, a piece rough from the quarry.
3.
A massy body, solid and heavy; a mass of wood, iron, or other metal, with at least one plain surface, such as artificers use.
4.
The wood on which criminals are beheaded.
5.
Any obstruction, or cause of obstruction; a stop; hindrance; obstacle.
6.
A piece of wood in which a pulley runs; used also for the pulley, or the block itself and the sheaves, or wheels.
7.
A blockhead; a stupid fellow.
8.
Among cutters in wood, a form made of hard wood, on which they cut figures in relief with knives,chisels, &c.
9.
In falconry, the perch whereon a bird of prey is kept.

BLOCK

,
Verb.
T.
To inclose or shut up, so as to hinder egress or passage; to stop up; to obstruct,by placing obstacles in the way; often followed by up; as, to block up a town,or a road.

Definition 2024

Block

Block

See also: block

German

Noun

Block m ‎(genitive Blocks or Blockes, plural Blöcke or Blocks)

  1. bloc
  2. block (thick, roughly cuboid object)
  3. block (large building or group of such)

Usage notes

  • The normal plural is Blöcke.
  • The plural Blocks is often, but not necessarily, used for sense 3 (“large building”).

Declension

Derived terms

  • Häuserblock

block

block

See also: Block

English

Noun

block ‎(plural blocks)

  1. A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
    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:
      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, 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 mould on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped.
    • Shakespeare
      He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next block.
  8. A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end.
    A block of 100 tickets.
  9. (computing) A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors (see cluster).
  10. (programming) A region of code in a program that acts as a single unit, such as a function or loop.
  11. (cryptography) A fixed-length group of bits making up part of a message.
  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”, in 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. (Britain) Solitary confinement.
  21. A cellblock.
  22. (falconry) The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.
  23. (printing, dated) A piece of hard wood on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted.
  24. (obsolete) A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt.
    • Shakespeare
      What a block art thou!
  25. A section of a railroad where the block system is used.
  26. (cricket) The position of a player or bat when guarding the wicket.
  27. (cricket) A blockhole.
  28. (cricket) The popping crease.
  29. Misspelling of bloc.

Synonyms

Related terms

Derived terms

Synonyms

Translations

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

Translations

Manx

Etymology

Borrowing from English block.

Noun

block m ‎(genitive singular 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.

Spanish

Etymology

From English block.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /blok/

Noun

block m ‎(plural blocks)

  1. (Guatemala) cement block

Synonyms

Swedish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈblɔk/

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

Inflection of block 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative block blocket block blocken
Genitive blocks blockets blocks blockens

Related terms

Etymology

From Middle High German bloc, from Old High German bloc. The more common form was originally Middle High German bloch, Old High German bloh. The variant prevailed in modern German under the reinforcing influence of Middle Low German block. The architectural sense is loaned from English (and may therefore take a plural in -s).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /blɔk/
  • Homophone: Blog

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