Stumblingblock
/ˈstʌm.blɪŋ ˌblɒk/noun
An obstacle or impediment that causes physical, moral, or spiritual difficulty.
Did you know?In the Bible, “stumbling block” often translates Ancient Greek skándalon, originally referring to the trigger of a trap—an image later connected with the word “scandal.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic period
Germanic
*stam- / *stum-
“A sound-symbolic Germanic base associated with striking, stopping, or stumbling; the ultimate source is uncertain.”
Early Medieval period
Old Norse
stumra
“To stumble or trip.”
12th–13th Century
Middle English
stumblen
“To trip, fall, or move unsteadily.”
12th Century
Old French
bloc
“A block or piece of wood; the source of English block.”
16th Century
English
stumbling block
“An obstacle causing someone to trip, first literally and then figuratively.”
Modern English
English
stumbling block
“A practical, moral, or spiritual impediment; the closed spelling “stumblingblock” is historical or nonstandard today.”