a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides);"the pyramids were built with large stone blocks"
a rectangular area in a city surrounded by streets and usually containing several buildings;"he lives in the next block"
a three-dimensional shape with six square or rectangular sides
a number or quantity of related things dealt with as a unit;"he reserved a large block of seats" "he held a large block of the company"s stock"
housing in a large building that is divided into separate units;"there is a block of classrooms in the west wing"
(computer science) a sector or group of sectors that function as the smallest data unit permitted;"since blocks are often defined as a single sector, the terms `block" and `sector" are sometimes used interchangeably"
an inability to remember or think of something you normally can do; often caused by emotional tension;"I knew his name perfectly well but I had a temporary block"
a simple machine consisting of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope
a metal casting containing the cylinders and cooling ducts of an engine;"the engine had to be replaced because the block was cracked"
an obstruction in a pipe or tube;"we had to call a plumber to clear out the blockage in the drainpipe"
a platform from which an auctioneer sells;"they put their paintings on the block"
the act of obstructing or deflecting someone"s movements
Verb:
render unsuitable for passage;"block the way" "barricade the streets" "stop the busy road"
hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of;"His brother blocked him at every turn"
stop from happening or developing;"Block his election" "Halt the process"
interfere with or prevent the reception of signals;"Jam the Voice of America" "block the signals emitted by this station"
run on a block system;"block trains"
interrupt the normal function of by means of anesthesia;"block a nerve" "block a muscle"
shut out from view or get in the way so as to hide from sight;"The thick curtain blocked the action on the stage" "The trees obstruct my view of the mountains"
stamp or emboss a title or design on a book with a block;"block the book cover"
obstruct;"My nose is all stuffed" "Her arteries are blocked"
block passage through;"obstruct the path"
support, secure, or raise with a block;"block a plate for printing" "block the wheels of a car"
impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball);"block an attack"
be unable to remember;"I"m drawing a blank" "You are blocking the name of your first wife!"
shape by using a block;"Block a hat" "block a garment"
shape into a block or blocks;"block the graphs so one can see the results clearly"
prohibit the conversion or use of (assets);"Blocked funds" "Freeze the assets of this hostile government"
中英词源
block 大块
来自PIE *bhel, 膨胀，鼓起。词源同balk, 大块，障碍。
block
block: [14] English borrowed block from Old French bloc, but its ultimate origin appears to be Germanic; French acquired it from Middle Dutch blok ‘tree trunk’. The derived verb block ‘impede’ first crops up in the early 15th century, but was not established until the later 16th century; it originally meant ‘put blocks [of wood] or obstacles in the way of’. Blockade was coined in the 17th century, perhaps on the model of ambuscade, a contemporary synonym of ambush. => blockade
block (n.)
"solid piece," c. 1300, from Old French bloc "log, block" of wood (13c.), via Middle Dutch bloc "trunk of a tree" or Old High German bloh, from a common Germanic source, from PIE *bhlugo-, from *bhelg- "a thick plank, beam" (see balk).
Meaning "mould for a hat" is from 1570s. Slang sense of "head" is from 1630s. Extended sense of "obstruction" is first recorded 1640s. In cricket from 1825; in U.S. football from 1912. The meaning in city block is 1796, from the notion of a "compact mass" of buildings; slang meaning "fashionable promenade" is 1869.
BLOCK. A term applied in America to a square mass of houses included between four streets. It is a very useful one. [Bartlett]
block (v.)
"obstruct," 1590s, from French bloquer "to block, stop up," from Old French bloc (see block (n.)). Meaning "to make smooth or to give shape on a block" is from 1620s. Stage and theater sense is from 1961. Sense in cricket is from 1772; in U.S. football from 1889. Related: Blocked; blocking.
