check

check · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*tek-
2. Proto-Indo-Iranian*kšáyati
3. Proto-Iranian*xšáyati
4. Old Persian𐏋 (XŠ)
5. Middle Persian𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/)
6. Classical Persianشاه (šāh)
7. Medieval Latinscaccus
8. Old Frencheschec
9. Middle Englishchek
10. English todaycheck

From Middle English chek, chekke, borrowed from Old French eschec, eschek, eschac, from Medieval Latin scaccus, borrowed from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king or check at chess, shah”), borrowed from Classical Persian شَاه (šāh, “king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, “king”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáyati (“he rules, he has power over”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to gain power over, gain control over”). Compare Saterland Frisian Schak, Schach, Dutch schaak, German Schach, Danish skak, Swedish schack, Icelandic skák, French échec, Italian scacco. Doublet of chess and shah (“king of Persia or Iran”), from the same source, as well as thig, which derives from the Germanic cognate. All of the English senses developed from the chess sense.

check · verb, interjection²

1. Old French · derived fromeschequier
2. Middle English · inherited fromchekken
3. English todaycheck

From Middle English chekken, partly from Old French eschequier and partly from the noun (see above).

check · noun, verb, adjective³

1. Medieval Latin · derived fromscaccarium
2. Old French · derived fromeschequier“chessboard”
3. English todaycheck

By shortening from chequer, from Old French eschequier (“chessboard”), from Medieval Latin scaccarium, ultimately from the same Persian root as above.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 14th c. A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece.