A block is a solid piece of material with flat sides, or a group of buildings between two streets in a city. As a verb, it means to stop something from moving or happening.
It comes from Middle Dutch “blok,” meaning “tree trunk” or “log,” and Old French “bloc.” Originally it referred to solid pieces of wood before expanding to many kinds of solid shapes and obstacles.
The same root idea—“a solid chunk”—explains city blocks, toy blocks, and mental “blocks.” Whenever something is divided into units or something stands in the way, English reaches for this simple, sturdy word.
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