noun
wooden printing block
A block of wood carved with a pattern or text, used for traditional printing.
この形木は江戸時代の浮世絵に使われた。
This wooden printing block was used for ukiyo-e prints in the Edo period.
版木 is a more general term for a printing block, while 形木 often implies a block with a specific pattern or design.
Compound of 形 (kata, 'shape, pattern') and 木 (ki, 'wood'), with rendaku voicing of 木 to ぎ. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with a wooden block used for printing patterns.