different between block vs halt

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /bl?k/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /bl?k/
• Rhymes: -?k
• Homophone: bloc

Etymology 1

From Middle English blok (“log, stump, solid piece”), from Old French bloc (“log, block”), from Middle Dutch blok (“treetrunk”), from Old Dutch *blok (“log”), from Proto-West Germanic *blokk, from Proto-Germanic *blukk? (“beam, log”), from Proto-Indo-European *b?el?- (“thick plank, beam, pile, prop”). Cognate with Old Frisian blok, Old Saxon blok, Old High German bloh, bloc (“block”), Old English bolca (“gangway of a ship, plank”), Old Norse b?lkr (“divider, partition”). More at balk. See also bloc.

Noun

block (plural blocks)

1. A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.

   a block of ice, a block of stone

   1. A chopping block: a cuboid base for cutting or beheading.

      Anne Boleyn placed her head on the block and awaited her execution.

      • You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year.

   2. A wig block: a simplified head model upon which wigs are worn.
      • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 13

        Next morning, Monday, after disposing of the embalmed head to a barber, for a block, I settled my own and comrade’s bill; using, however, my comrade’s money.

   3. A mould on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped.
   4. (printing, dated) A piece of hard wood on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted.
   5. A case or frame housing one or more sheaves (pulleys), used with ropes to increase or redirect force, for example as part of lifting gear or a sailing ship's rigging. See also block and tackle.
   6. A section of split logs used as fuel.
      • 1833, The Gospel Anchor (volume 2, page 371)

        She said, 'I hope I shall not be left to kill myself, but It would be no more sin to kill me, than to put a block on the fire.'

      • 2012, Ron Herrett, Shorty's Story

        Dawn and Shorty would cut this tree into blocks, while Randy and Matt went back for more. Dawn and Shorty made a good team on the crosscut, so when another log arrived, the first was almost completely made into shake wood.

   7. A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end, forming a cuboid shape.

      a block of 100 tickets

   8. (falconry) The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.
2. A physical area or extent of something, often rectangular or approximately rectangular.

   a block of text, a block of colour, a block of land

   1. (philately) A joined group of four (or in some cases nine) postage stamps, forming a roughly square shape.
   2. (viticulture) A discrete group of vines in a vineyard, often distinguished from others by variety, clone, canopy training method, irrigation infrastructure, or some combination thereof.
3. A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.

   a block of data, a block of seven days, a block reservation

   1. (computing) A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors (see cluster).
   2. (programming) A region of code in a program that acts as a single unit, such as a function or loop.
   3. (cryptography) A fixed-length group of bits making up part of a message.
   4. (chemistry) A portion of a macromolecule, comprising many units, that has at least one feature not present in adjacent portions.
   5. (rail transport) A section of a railroad where the block system is used.
   6. (computing) A contiguous range of Unicode code points used to encode characters of a specific type; can be of any size evenly divisible by 16, up to 65,536 (a full plane).

4. A contiguous group of urban lots of property, typically several acres in extent, not crossed by public streets.

   I'm going for a walk around the block.

   1. The distance from one street to another in a city or suburb that is built (approximately) to a grid pattern.

      The place you are looking for is two long blocks east and one short block north.
5. A large, roughly cuboid building.

   a block of flats, an office block, a tower block

   1. A cellblock.
6. Something that prevents something from passing.

   Synonyms: barrier, blockage, obstruction

   There's a block in the pipe that means the water can't get through.

   1. Interference or obstruction of cognitive processes.

      a mental block

      writer's block

   2. (sports) An action to interfere with the movement of an opposing player or of the object of play (ball, puck).
      1. (cricket) A shot played by holding the bat vertically in the path of the ball, so that it loses momentum and drops to the ground.
      2. (cricket) The position of a player or bat when guarding the wicket.
      3. (cricket) A blockhole.
      4. (cricket) The popping crease.
      5. (volleyball) A defensive play by one or more players meant to deflect a spiked ball back to the hitter’s court.

      Synonyms: stuff, roof, wall

   3. (Wiktionary and WMF jargon) A type of temporary or permanent ban which automatically prevents the blocked user from editing pages of a particular wiki.

7. (slang) The human head.

   I'll knock your block off!

8. (Britain) Solitary confinement.
9. (obsolete) A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:head
• city block

Related terms

• bloc

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Verb

block (third-person singular simple present blocks, present participle blocking, simple past and past participle blocked)

1. (transitive) To fill or obstruct (something) so that it is not possible to pass.

   The pipe is blocked.
2. (transitive) To prevent (something or someone) from passing.

   A broken-down car is blocking the traffic.

3. (transitive) To prevent (something from happening or someone from doing something).

   His plan to take over the business was blocked by the boss.

4. (transitive, sports) To impede (an opponent or opponent's play).

   He blocked the basketball player's shot.

   The offensive linemen tried to block the blitz.

5. (transitive, theater) To specify the positions and movements of the actors for (a section of a play).

   It was very difficult to block this scene convincingly.

6. (transitive, cricket) To hit with a block.
7. (intransitive, cricket) To play a block shot.
8. (transitive) To disable communication via telephone, instant messaging, etc. with (someone undesirable).

   I tried to send you a message, but you've blocked me!

9. (Wiktionary and WMF jargon, transitive) To place, on a user of a wiki, a type of temporary or permanent ban which automatically prevents the recipient from editing pages of the wiki.

10. (computing, intransitive) To wait.

    When the condition expression is false, the thread blocks on the condition variable.

11. (transitive) To stretch or mould (a knitted item, a hat, etc.) into the desired shape.

    I blocked the mittens by wetting them and pinning them to a shaped piece of cardboard.

12. (transitive) To shape or sketch out roughly.

    When drawing a scene, first block the main features, and then fill in the detail.

13. (transitive, slang, obsolete) To knock (a person's hat) down over their eyes.

    Synonym: bonnet

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

block

1. Misspelling of bloc.

Manx

Etymology

Borrowed from English block.

Noun

block m (genitive singular bluick)

1. block, log, cake (of soap)

Derived terms

• block-lettyr

Mutation

Spanish

Etymology

From English block. Doublet of bloc and bloque.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?blok/, [?blok]

Noun

block m (plural blocks)

1. (Guatemala) cement block

   Synonym: bloque de cemento

Swedish

Etymology

From Middle Low German block, from Old Saxon blok, from Proto-West Germanic *blokk, from Proto-Germanic *blukk?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bl?k/

Noun

block n

1. a block, a boulder, a cuboid (of ice, wood, rock)
2. a block, a pad, a notebook
3. a block, a pulley
4. a block, a piece of data storage
5. a bloc (of voters or countries)

Declension

Related terms

• anteckningsblock
• blädderblock
• blockad
• blockbaserad
• blockera
• blockstorlek
• diskblock
• flyttblock
• isblock
• skrivblock
• stenblock

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /h??lt/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /h?lt/
• Rhymes: -??lt

Etymology 1

From Middle English halten, from Old English healtian (“to be lame, walk with a limp”), from Proto-Germanic *halt?n?. English usage in the sense of 'make a halt' is from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian halte, Swedish halta.

Verb

halt (third-person singular simple present halts, present participle halting, simple past and past participle halted)

1. (intransitive) To limp; move with a limping gait.
   • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 4 scene 1

     Do not smile at me that I boast her of,

     For thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise,

     And make it halt behind her.

2. (intransitive) To stand in doubt whether to proceed, or what to do; hesitate; be uncertain; linger; delay; mammer.
   • #*

     How long halt ye between two opinions?

3. (intransitive) To be lame, faulty, or defective, as in connection with ideas, or in measure, or in versification.
4. To waver.
5. To falter.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle French halt, from early modern German halt (“stop!”), imperative of halten (“to hold, to stop”). More at hold.

Verb

halt (third-person singular simple present halts, present participle halting, simple past and past participle halted)

1. (intransitive) To stop marching.
2. (intransitive) To stop either temporarily or permanently.

   • And it was while all were passionately intent upon the pleasing and snake-like progress of their uncle that a young girl in furs, ascending the stairs two at a time, peeped perfunctorily into the nursery as she passed the hallway—and halted amazed.

3. (transitive) To bring to a stop.
4. (transitive) To cause to discontinue.

Synonyms

• (to stop marching):
• (to stop): brake, desist, stay; See also Thesaurus:stop
• (to cause something to stop): freeze, immobilize; See also Thesaurus:immobilize
• (to cause to discontinue): break off, terminate, shut down, stop; See also Thesaurus:desist

Translations

Noun

halt (plural halts)

1. A cessation, either temporary or permanent.
2. (rail transport) A minor railway station (usually unstaffed) in the United Kingdom.

Synonyms

• (cessation: temporary): hiatus, moratorium, recess; see also Thesaurus:pause
• (cessation: permanent): close, endpoint, terminus; see also Thesaurus:finish

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English halt, from Old English healt, from Proto-Germanic *haltaz (“halt, lame”), from Proto-Indo-European *kol-d-, from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to beat, strike, cut, slash”). Cognate with Danish halt, Swedish halt.

Adjective

halt (comparative more halt, superlative most halt)

1. (archaic) Lame, limping.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Mark IX:

     It is better for the to goo halt into lyfe, then with ij. fete to be cast into hell […]

   • Bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

Noun

halt (plural halts)

1. (dated) Lameness; a limp.

Anagrams

• lath, thal

Alemannic German

Etymology

From Middle High German halt. Cognate with German halt (adverb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /halt/

Adverb

halt

1. so, just, simply
   • 1978, Rolf Lyssy & Christa Maerker, Die Schweizermacher, (transcript):

     Chömmer halt e chli früner. Schadet a nüt.

     So we'll arrive a little earlier. Won't do any harm.

Danish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

halt

1. lame

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /halt/

Etymology 1

From the verb halten (“to hold; to stop”).

Verb

halt

1. singular imperative of halten

Interjection

halt!

1. stop!, wait!

Descendants

• ? Dutch: halt
• ? Italian: alt
• ? Spanish: alto
• ? Portuguese: alto
• ? Middle French: halt
  • French: halte
    • ? Dutch: halte
  • ? English: halt

Etymology 2

From Middle High German halt, pertaining to Old High German halto (“soon, fast”). Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *haldiz, an adverbial comparative like *batiz.

Adverb

halt

1. (colloquial, modal particle) Indicating that something is generally known, or cannot be changed, or the like; often untranslatable; so, just, simply, indeed

Usage notes

• The word is originally southern German and is still so considered by some contemporary dictionaries. It has, however, become common throughout the language area during the past decades.

Synonyms

• eben

See also

• ja

Hungarian

Etymology

hal (“to die”) +? -t (past-tense and past-participle suffix)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?h?lt]
• Hyphenation: halt
• Rhymes: -?lt

Verb

halt

1. third-person singular indicative past indefinite of hal

Participle

halt

1. past participle of hal

Declension

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hal??t??]

Noun

halt m

1. h-prothesized form of alt

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse haltr, from Proto-Germanic *haltaz.

Pronunciation

• Homophones: hallt, halvt

Adjective

halt (indefinite singular halt, definite singular and plural halte, comparative haltare, indefinite superlative haltast, definite superlative haltaste)

1. limp, limping

Verb

halt

1. imperative of halta and halte

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Participle

halt (definite singular and plural halte)

1. past participle of hala and hale

Verb

halt

1. supine of hala and hale

References

• “halt” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old French

Etymology

From a conflation of Frankish *hauh, *h?h (“high, tall, elevated”) and Latin altus (“high, raised, profound”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [?ha?t]

Adjective

halt m (oblique and nominative feminine singular halte)

1. high; elevated

Adverb

halt

1. loud; loudly

Derived terms

• haltement

Descendants

• Middle French: hault
  • French: haut

Old Norse

Adjective

halt

1. strong neuter nominative/accusative singular of haltr

Verb

halt

1. second-person singular imperative active of halda