Bloc and Block Are the Same Word Twice
A bloc is a group of countries or parties acting together. English borrowed the French spelling to keep the political sense apart.
A bloc is a group of countries, parties or people acting together for a shared purpose. It is the French spelling of *block* and the same word, borrowed a second time around 1900 specifically for the political sense. English kept the two spellings apart so that a voting bloc would not be confused with a block of wood. The *Eastern Bloc* named the Soviet-aligned states of Europe from 1946 to 1991.
- A political alliance. *A voting bloc.*
- The Eastern Bloc. *The Eastern Bloc.*
- A trading group. *A trade bloc.*
- Bloc vote — voting as one. *A bloc vote.*
- French — *bloc*, a block. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bloc | A bloc. |
| Plural | blocs | Blocs. |
| Related | block | A block. |
| Compound | trade bloc | A trade bloc. |
| French | bloc | A block. |
- The farming bloc opposed the bill.Politics.
- The Eastern Bloc dissolved in 1991.History.
- Bloc is the French spelling.Etymology.
Words borrowed twice
- Block / bloc — the second borrowing took the political sense
- Chief / chef — the second is the head of a kitchen
- Hostel / hotel — the same Latin root, centuries apart
- Cattle / chattel — both mean movable property at root
- Warden / guardian — Norman and Parisian French forms
French *bloc*, a block or group, from Middle Dutch *blok*, a tree trunk. The political sense dates from about 1900.
Is bloc different from block?
Only in spelling and use. Both come from the same word. English keeps the French spelling for the political sense.
What was the Eastern Bloc?
The Soviet Union and its allied states in Central and Eastern Europe, a term used from 1946 until the bloc dissolved in 1991.