'blockprint' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'block' + 'print', where 'block' meant 'a solid piece of wood (used as a printing block)' and 'print' meant 'to press or reproduce an image.'

'block' comes from Middle English 'bloc', ultimately from Old Norse 'blokkr' (or related Germanic sources) meaning 'log or block'; 'print' comes from Middle English 'printen' (to press or impress), from Old French and ultimately from Latin 'premere' meaning 'to press'. The compound 'block-print' developed in English to describe the technique of printing from carved blocks and later became a noun and verb.

Initially it referred specifically to the action or product of pressing with a block; over time it broadened to denote the general technique and adjectival descriptions (e.g., 'blockprinted fabric') and has retained that core sense.