a compact usually solid piece of substantial material especially when worked or altered to serve a particular purpose: as
a : the piece of wood on which the neck of a person condemned to be beheaded is laid for execution
b : a mold or form on which articles are shaped or displayed
c : a hollow rectangular building unit usually of artificial material
d : a lightweight usually cubical and solid wooden or plastic building toy that is usually provided in sets
e : the casting that contains the cylinders of an internal combustion engine
f : starting block
2
a : obstacle
b : an obstruction of an opponent's play in sports; especially : a halting or impeding of the progress or movement of an opponent in football by use of the body
c (1) : interruption of normal physiological function (as of a tissue or organ); especially : heart block (2) : local anesthesia (as by injection) produced by interruption of the flow of impulses along a nerve
d : interruption or cessation especially of train of thought by competing thoughts or psychological suppression — compare writer's block
3
slang : head 1
4
: a wooden or metal case enclosing one or more pulleys and having a hook, eye, or strap by which it may be attached
5
: a piece of material (as wood or linoleum) having on its surface a hand-cut design from which impressions are to be printed
6
a (1) : a usually rectangular space (as in a city) enclosed by streets and occupied by or intended for buildings (2) : the distance along one of the sides of such a block
b (1) : a large building divided into separate functional units (2) : a line of row houses (3) : a distinctive part of a building or integrated group of buildings
7
: a platform from which property is sold at auction
8
a : a quantity, number, or section of things dealt with as a unit