starting block (French)

Where does "starting block" come from?

The French noun 'starting block' was borrowed directly from the English 'starting block'[1].

Full etymology tree

• starting block (French), 'starting block'
  • borrowed starting block (English), 'A peg or angled block of wood or metal pedal used by track and field athletes, mainly sprinters, for getting a quick start in a race.'

Ancestors

• starting block (English)

Sources

1. starting block (French) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris