balks
|balks|
/bɔːks/
(balk)
stop or block
Etymology
'balk' originates from Old Norse, specifically the word 'balkr', meaning 'ridge' or 'beam' (and is also attested in Old English as 'balca').
'balk' changed from Old Norse/Old English words like 'balkr' / 'balca' into Middle English forms such as 'balke' or 'balc', and eventually became the modern English 'balk'.
Initially, it meant 'ridge' or 'beam' (a physical raised strip); over time it came to mean 'an obstruction' and then developed the figurative verbal sense 'to stop short or refuse' and specialized senses such as the baseball 'balk'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'balk' — obstacles or impediments that prevent progress.
The project encountered several balks during development.
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Noun 2
plural form of 'balk' — ridges or strips left unploughed between furrows (agricultural usage).
The field still had balks between the furrows after the plowing.
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Noun 3
plural form of 'balk' — (baseball) the plural of 'balk', an illegal motion by a pitcher.
The pitcher was charged with two balks in the inning.
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Verb 1
third-person singular present of 'balk' — to hesitate or refuse to go on or to accept an idea or undertaking.
She balks at the idea of moving to another city for work.
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Last updated: 2026/01/05 20:48