bloc

Etymology

Borrowed from French bloc (“group, block”), from Middle French bloc (“a considerable piece of something heavy, block”), 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 *bʰl̥ǵ-, from *bʰelǵ- (“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

• (US) IPA^(key): /blɑk/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• (UK) IPA^(key): /blɒk/
• Homophone: block

Noun

bloc (plural blocs)

1. A group of voters or politicians who share common goals.
2. A group of countries acting together for political or economic goals, an alliance: e.g., the eastern bloc, the western bloc, a trading bloc, the Eurozone, the European Union.

   The ECB is considering three main options ... but two of them could hurt confidence in the bloc's most indebted states, ... (Reuters)

   Climate change a security risk for EU, say bloc's foreign policy chiefs (EUobserver)

   military bloc

Anagrams

• CLOB, LCBO

Noun

bloc m (plural blocs)

1. block
2. bloc

Etymology

From Middle French bloc (“a considerable piece of something heavy, block”), 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 *bʰl̥ǵ-, from *bʰelǵ- (“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

• IPA^(key): /blɔk/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

bloc m (plural blocs)

1. a block (e.g., of wood)
2. a bloc, an alliance
3. a pad of paper
4. (computing) block (of memory, of code)

Further reading

• “bloc” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

Borrowed from English block or from a Romance language.

Noun

bloc m (genitive singular bloic, nominative plural bloic)

1. block

Mutation

References

• "bloc" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• “bloc” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Etymology

Borrowed from French bloc.

Noun

bloc m (plural bloques)

1. pad (such as of paper)