Etymologically
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bloquer

Etymology and origin of the French word bloquer

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1450, Gréban

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /blɔ.ke/[1]

Forms

bloquer[1]

Etymology

It is formed from bloc with the verb ending -er.[2][3][4][5] The noun “bloc” is borrowed from Middle Dutch blok (“felled trunk”) or Middle High German block (“trunk, block”).[4][1] The military sense “to blockade” is due to blocus.[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Arnoul Gréban's Mystère de la Passion (about 1450) uses it for strengthening a wall with rubble;[2][7] Villon uses it in the same period.[6]

Semantic evolution

In 16th-century falconry it was said of a hawk hovering over a partridge, and, from 1680 it was a printing term for putting a turned letter in place of a missing one.[2][6] D'Aubigné uses it from 1578 for blockading a town, under the influence of blocus;[7][4] the derivative débloquer follows in 1588.[4]

From the idea of shutting in came the general sense “to stop from moving, jam”: wheels, a door, a road blocked by snow, a ball stopped in football.[7][8] Figuratively it means “to freeze” (credit, a bank account, prices), and bloquer also means “to group together” (vote bloqué).[7][8] In psychology bloqué describes a person inhibited by a mental block,[8] and of a computer program se bloquer is “to freeze”.[1] The verb was borrowed into German blockieren and Spanish bloquear.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 1450 – “To fill with rubble”, in Gréban.[2]
  • 16th century – A falconry term.[2]
  • 1578 – “To blockade”, in d'Aubigné.[7]
  • 1588 – Débloquer.[4]
  • 1680 – A printing term, in Richelet.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To block, obstruct; to stop from moving, jam: bloquer une porte, route bloquée par la neige.[8][7]
  2. (sports) To stop (the ball).[8][7]
  3. To freeze (credit, prices, an account).[7][1]
  4. To group together: bloquer ses jours de congé.[8][9]
  5. (dated) To blockade (a town or port).[8][6]
  6. (psychology) To inhibit, être bloqué: to have a mental block.[8]
  7. (reflexive) To jam; of a computer, to freeze.[1]

Word family

  • blocage
  • bloqueur
  • débloquer

Usage notes

In Belgian French bloquer (1911) means “to swot, cram for exams”, a separate word from Dutch blokken (“to work hard”); hence la bloque “exam revision” and un bloqueur.[3][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 15/1, 165b
  6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Bloquer.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/bloquer. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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