obstruct

From Latin obstruere, formed from ob ("against") and struere ("pile up, build"). English took it from the past participle stem obstruct- ("blocked up").

The word entered English already carrying its core sense of blocking, inherited directly from the Latin idea of piling something up against a path or opening.

It shares its root struere with "construct" and "structure" — words about building something up, while obstruct is about building something in the way.