building block
23
3.0
- noun
- /ˈbɪldɪŋ blɑk/
:
elemento básico
- Teaching at this level is the first building block in the long process of higher education.
- basic building block
- fundamental building blocks
- essential building blocks
And they're really both building blocks, not just protein, OK?
- And they're really both building blocks, not just protein, OK?
- Those robots still need humans to provide the building blocks, at least for now.
- The absolute foundational building block to fulfillment is progress.
- The absolute foundational building block to fulfilment is progress.
- Of course, you know, famous prime numbers, building blocks of all of the numbers.
Examples
-
Protein is a building block that is essential for the growth and repair of tissues.
-
Play is the basic building block for the learning of specific skills and activities.
Academic text (1992) -
Families are the building blocks of society, of a nation.
-
Facts can be thought of as the building blocks of knowledge.
Academic text (1998) -
Indigenous communities have thus become the building blocks of the contemporary Indigenous political movement.
Academic text (2001) -
Open dialogue is a building block for a successful mentoring relationship.
Academic text (2013) -
To survive, Natives fell back on the basic building blocks of their civilization: family, clan, and town.
Academic text (2008) -
Financial integration and collective responsibility for a defined group of patients are the basic building blocks of ACOs.
Academic text (2017) -
Amino acids serve as the building blocks of all proteins found in living organisms.
-
Education is often considered one of the vital building blocks for a successful future.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A piece of something that, with others, makes a whole
∞
3.0
The main support, reason, or way that something happens
504
1.1
A single thing or part that belongs to a larger whole
447
3.4
A part of something larger, like a machine or system
378
2.8
The main part or ingredient from which something is made
182
3.5
The basic ideas and facts that support a belief, plan, or system
46
5.3
A very important idea or part that something depends on
18
4.2
The basic principles that support a system, idea, or group
12
5.0
A basic support or principle that something depends on
3
3.5
A single piece that makes up a larger object
1
4.7
A smaller part of a larger machine or system
1
9.4
A basic idea that something is built on
How Basic
- Specialized
127
3.6
23
3.0
101
3.7
447
3.4
∞
1.0
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'building block' is directly compositional: 'building' (related to construction) + 'block' (a solid unit) yields a block used for building. This is a common noun-noun compounding pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Building block comes from the image of small blocks or bricks you stack—like children's toy blocks—to make a house or model. Because each little piece helps form the whole, building block now means 'a basic part' of something larger.