chess

chess · 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. Arabicشَاه (šāh)
8. Old Frencheschés
9. Middle Englishches
10. English todaychess

From Middle English ches, chesse, from Old French eschés, plural of eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king [in chess]”), from Classical Persian شاه (šāh, “shah, king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/). Compare German Schach and Italian scacchi. Compare French échecs (“chess”) and its descendants: Catalan escacs and Dutch schaak. More at check and shah (“king of Persia or Iran”).

chess · noun²

Uncertain; perhaps linked to Etymology 1, above, from the sense of being arranged in rows or lines.

chess · noun³

Compare French châssis (“a framework of carpentry”).

Chess · proper noun⁴

The river name is a back-formation from Chesham, a town at the head of the river.

Words from the same roots