Cinderblock
/ˈsɪn.dɚ.blɑk/noun
A large concrete building block, often hollow, used in construction.
Did you know?The name comes from cinders, the ash and partly burned residue of coal or wood, because early concrete blocks often used cinders as aggregate to make them lighter.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
sinder
“slag, dross, or residue from smelting or burning”
Middle English
ME
cinder
“a fragment of ash or partly burned material”
19th Century
English
cinder block
“a building block made with cinders mixed into concrete”
Modern English
English
cinderblock
“a concrete masonry block used in construction”