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bloc

(blŏk)

1. A group of nations, parties, or persons united for common action: the Communist bloc.

2. An often bipartisan coalition of legislators acting together for a common purpose or interest: the farm bloc in the US Senate.

[French, from Old French, block; see BLOCK.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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