Where does “checkmate” come from?

Checkmate comes from Middle English chekmat, from Old French eschec mat, from Persian شاه مات meaning "the king is dead."

checkmate (English): Word called out by the victor when making a move...

Definitions

  1. Word called out by the victor when making a move...

Ancestry of “checkmate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishchekmatSaid when the opponent's king is captured
2Old Frencheschec matAlternative form of eschec et mat
3Arabicشاه مات—
4Persianشاه ماتcheckmate

Words derived from “checkmate”

Every word from Persian شاه مات →Every word from Arabic شاه مات →Every word from Old French eschec mat →