Where does “schāch” come from?
schāch (Middle High German) comes from Latin scacci, from Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه, from Persian شاه, from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠, from Old Persian 𐏋, from Proto-Iranian xšáyati, from Proto-Indo-Iranian kšáyati — to sire, beget.
Ancestry of “schāch”, step by step
schāch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin scacci
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | scacci | chess |
| 2 | Latin | scaccus | API; check |
| 3 | Arabic | شَاه | king in chess; king; king or check at chess, shah |
| 4 | Persian | شاه | king; shah; king; Something that is the biggest... |
| 5 | Middle Persian | 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 | king |
| 6 | Old Persian | 𐏋 | king |
| 7 | Proto-Iranian | xšáyati | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | kšáyati | he rules, he has power over |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | teḱ- | to sire, beget |
via Arabic شاه
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arabic | شاه | shah; king |