bloke

The story

1. Shelta · borrowed fromloke“man”
2. Hindustani · borrowed from
3. English · derived fromblock
4. Scottish Gaelic · borrowed fromploc“large, stubborn person”
5. Irish · borrowed frombloc“block”
6. English todaybloke

Origin unknown; the following borrowings have been hypothesized: * From a modern Celtic language, such as Irish bloc (“block”) or Scottish Gaelic ploc (“large, stubborn person”, literally “block of wood”), themselves borrowings from English block * From Hindustani لوک (lok) / लोक (lok, “people, folk”) or Shelta loke (“man”).

First known use, by meaning

• From 1847 A fellow, a man; especially an ordinary man, a man on the street.