Blocs

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /blɑks/

Definitions

1. A group of nations or political entities forming a coalition to achieve common objectives
2. A collection of distinct units collaborating to enhance political or economic power
3. A set of organized segments working together in a strategic manner for a unified purpose

Etymology: Before it described alliances of nations, "bloc" was a French word for a block of things, and English borrowed it in the early twentieth century with the sense of a political or economic grouping. The French "bloc" came from Dutch "blok," meaning a log or block of wood, which in turn traces back to Old French "bloc" and Middle Dutch roots of similar meaning. The image is of solid, compact mass: separate pieces fused into one unit. The political sense took hold through the diplomacy of the early 1900s. Terms such as "Balkan bloc" and "the Eastern bloc" were used to describe alignments of states, and the word grew more common once the Cold War divided Europe into rival camps. The core idea has stayed the same: many separate members acting together as a single mass.

Synonyms: groups, alliances, coalitions