building block vs template

building block

noun
  • A block made of wood or plastic that is used as a children's toy and can be stacked or joined to form a larger structure. 

  • A component that is part of a larger system. 

  • A component that is part of a larger construction, such as a brick or a stone. 

template

noun
  • A physical object whose shape is used as a guide to make other objects. 

  • A macromolecule which provides a pattern for the synthesis of another molecule. 

  • A generic model or pattern from which other objects are based or derived. 

  • A partially defined class or function, that can be instantiated in a variety of ways depending on the instantiation arguments. 

  • document template (file with a basic outline for a work) 

  • A strip of metal used in boiler-making, pierced with a series of holes, and serving as a guide in marking out a line of rivet-holes. 

verb
  • To set up or mark off using a template. 

  • To synthesize by means of a template. 

  • To provide a template or pattern for. 

How often have the words building block and template occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )