Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “check” come from?

Check comes from Old French eschequier, from Latin scaccus meaning a chessboard or game of chess, ultimately derived from Old Persian 𐏋.

check (English): A situation in which the king is directly...

Definitions

  1. A situation in which the king is directly...

Ancestry of “check”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchequerThe edible fruit of the wild service tree,...
2Old Frencheschequierexchequer
3Medieval Latinscaccariumchess board; chessboard; exchequer
4Vulgar Latinscaccuschess
5Arabicشَاهking in chess; king; king or check at chess, shah
6Persianشاهking; shah; king; Something that is the biggest...
7Middle Persian𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠king
8Old Persian𐏋king
9Proto-Iranianxšáyati—
10Proto-Indo-Iraniankšáyatihe rules, he has power over
11Proto-Indo-Europeanteḱ-to sire, beget

Words derived from “check”

  • checklist
  • checkpoint
  • paycheck
  • checker
  • checkbox
  • checkerboard
  • checksum
  • uncheck
  • recheck
  • checkable
  • checkmark
  • checkmarks
  • soundcheck
  • countercheck
  • checkerspot
  • checkerwork
  • uncheckable
  • checkrein
  • checkroom
  • checkerwise
  • backcheck
  • checkweighman
  • overcheck
  • checkless
Every word from Proto-Indo-European teḱ- →