woodblock

[ wood-blok ]

noun

a block of wood engraved in relief, for printing from; woodcut.
a print or impression from such a block.

a hollow block of hard wood struck with a wooden stick or mallet and used in the percussion section of an orchestra.

adjective

made from a woodblock: woodblock prints.

Origin of woodblock

First recorded in 1830–40; wood¹ + block

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use woodblock in a sentence

Bend the lower tube at right angles and insert it in a wood block, previously slotted with a saw to make a snug fit.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | Various
But the wood-block cannot give the depth of darkness, the method makes a convention of colour.
The Life of James McNeill Whistler | Elizabeth Robins Pennell
A wood-block print will not tell well amid a wilderness of bric-à-brac or on a gaudy wall-paper.
Wood-Block Printing | F. Morley Fletcher
This has been the expressed opinion of many who have undertaken a course of wood-block printing for this object alone.
Wood-Block Printing | F. Morley Fletcher
The actual value of wood-block prints for use as decoration is a matter of personal taste and experience.
Wood-Block Printing | F. Morley Fletcher

British Dictionary definitions for wood block

wood block

noun

a small rectangular flat block of wood that is laid with others as a floor surface
music another word for Chinese block

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse