What does block mean?

What does block mean?. The world's largest and most trusted free online dictionary: definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more.

What does block mean? - The Free Dictionary

Search

[n] a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)(the pyramids were built with large stone blocks)[v] render unsuitable for passage(block the way barricade the streets stop the busy road)[n] a rectangular area in a city surrounded by streets and usually containing seve

block

block - The Free Dictionary

[n] a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
(the pyramids were built with large stone blocks)

[v] render unsuitable for passage
(block the way barricade the streets stop the busy road)

[n] a rectangular area in a city surrounded by streets and usually containing several buildings
(he lives in the next block)

[v] hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
(His brother blocked him at every turn)

[n] a three-dimensional shape with six square or rectangular sides

[v] stop from happening or developing
(Block his election Halt the process)

[n] 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)

[v] interfere with or prevent the reception of signals
(Jam the Voice of America block the signals emitted by this station)

[n] housing in a large building that is divided into separate units
(there is a block of classrooms in the west wing)

[v] run on a block system
(block trains)

[n] (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)

[v] interrupt the normal function of by means of anesthesia
(block a nerve block a muscle)

[n] 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)

[v] 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)

[n] 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

[v] stamp or emboss a title or design on a book with a block
(block the book cover)

[n] a metal casting containing the cylinders and cooling ducts of an engine
(the engine had to be replaced because the block was cracked)

[v] obstruct
(My nose is all stuffed Her arteries are blocked)

[n] an obstruction in a pipe or tube
(we had to call a plumber to clear out the blockage in the drainpipe)

[v] block passage through
(obstruct the path)

[n] a platform from which an auctioneer sells
(they put their paintings on the block)

[v] support, secure, or raise with a block
(block a plate for printing block the wheels of a car)

[n] the act of obstructing or deflecting someone's movements

[v] impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball)
(block an attack)

[v] be unable to remember
(I'm drawing a blank You are blocking the name of your first wife!)

[v] shape by using a block
(Block a hat block a garment)

[v] shape into a block or blocks
(block the graphs so one can see the results clearly)

[v] prohibit the conversion or use of (assets)
(Blocked funds Freeze the assets of this hostile government)

Other vocabulary

b, b battery, b cell, b complex, b horizon, b lymphocyte, b vitamin, b-52, b-complex vitamin, b-flat clarinet, b-girl, b-horizon, b-meson, b-scan ultrasonography, b. b. king, b. f. skinner, b.c., b.c.e., b.o., b.t.u., b.th.u., ba, baa, baa-lamb, baader meinhof gang, baader-meinhof gang, baal, baal merodach, baas, baba, l, l'aquila, l'enfant, l-dopa, l-p, l-plate, l-shaped, l. m. montgomery, l. monocytogenes, l. ron hubbard, l. s. lowry, la, la crosse, la fayette, la fontaine, la paz, la plata, la rochefoucauld, la spezia, la tour, la-di-da, laager, lab, lab bench, lab coat, laban, labanotation, labdanum, label, labeled

Dictionary

A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed[citation needed] to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types. There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.

The first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times around 2300 BCE, in the form of bilingual dictionaries, and the oldest surviving monolingual dictionaries are Chinese dictionaries c. 3rd century BCE. The first purely English alphabetical dictionary was A Table Alphabeticall, written in 1604, and monolingual dictionaries in other languages also began appearing in Europe at around this time. The systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest arose as a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta. The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, with the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of having an "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.