In a blocked or obstructed state; (nautical) locked or jammed in position.
From 'a-' (on, in) + 'block.' Used in nautical terminology where 'ablock' describes a pulley or mechanism that is locked or secured. Developed in maritime English from the 16th century onward.
Nautical English created hundreds of 'a-' words—'ashore,' 'afloat,' 'aloft'—where 'a-' was almost like a direction marker. Pirates and sailors had their own word dialect that influenced everyday English in surprising ways!
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