Where does “chessman” come from?
chessman (English) comes from English chess, from Middle English ches, from Old French eschés, from Arabic شَاه, from Persian شاه, from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠, from Old Persian 𐏋, from Proto-Iranian xšáyati — to sire, beget.
chessman (English): A chess piece
Ancestry of “chessman”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | chess | A board game for two players with each beginning... |
| 2 | Middle English | ches | A set for playing chess; a chess board and chess... |
| 3 | Old French | eschés | chess; inflection of eschec:
## oblique plural
##... |
| 4 | Arabic | شَاه | king in chess; king; king or check at chess, shah |
| 5 | Persian | شاه | king; shah; king; Something that is the biggest... |
| 6 | Middle Persian | 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 | king |
| 7 | Old Persian | 𐏋 | king |
| 8 | Proto-Iranian | xšáyati | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | kšáyati | he rules, he has power over |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | teḱ- | to sire, beget |