balk

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to hesitate or refuse to proceed; a hindrance or obstacle

   The horse balked at the high fence and threw its rider.

Simplified etymology

Balk is the American spelling of baulk. The noun was originally spelled balc and came from an Old Norse word meaning “partition.” Its first English sense was “unploughed ridge,” followed by “land left unploughed by mistake” and, in late Middle English, “blunder” or “omission.” Its use for an obstacle gave rise in late Middle English to verb senses meaning “hesitate” and “hinder,” and it is now also used for refusal.

From Old English balca ('ridge, bank'); the verb sense developed from the idea of an unploughed ridge as an obstacle, hence to check or hesitate at a hindrance.

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