[bɔː(l)k], (Verb)

Definitions:
- hesitate or be unwilling to accept an idea or undertaking
(e.g: he balked at such a drastic solution)


Phrases:

Origin:
late Old English balc, from Old Norse bálkr ‘partition’. The original use was ‘unploughed ridge’, later ‘land left unploughed by mistake’, hence ‘blunder, omission’, giving rise to the verb use ‘miss (a chance)’. A late Middle English sense ‘obstacle’ gave rise to the verb senses ‘hesitate’ and ‘hinder’

[bɔː(l)k], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a roughly squared timber beam
(e.g: a balk of timber)

- the area on a billiard table between the balk line and the bottom cushion, within which in some circumstances a ball is protected from a direct stroke

- an unlawful action made by a pitcher that may deceive a base runner

- a ridge left unploughed between furrows


Phrases:

Origin:
late Old English balc, from Old Norse bálkr ‘partition’. The original use was ‘unploughed ridge’, later ‘land left unploughed by mistake’, hence ‘blunder, omission’, giving rise to the verb use ‘miss (a chance)’. A late Middle English sense ‘obstacle’ gave rise to the verb senses ‘hesitate’ and ‘hinder’