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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

check

/t͡ʃɛk/
An inspection or examination.

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    • derived
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    Origin

    Etymology 1

    From Middle English chek, chekke, borrowed from Old French eschec, eschek, eschac, from Medieval Latin scaccus, borrowed from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king or check at chess, shah”), borrowed from Classical Persian شَاه (šāh, “king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, “king”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáyati (“he rules, he has power over”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to gain power over, gain control over”).

    Compare Saterland Frisian Schak, Schach, Dutch schaak, German Schach, Danish skak, Swedish schack, Icelandic skák, French échec, Italian scacco. Doublet of chess and shah (“king of Persia or Iran”), from the same source, as well as thig, which derives from the Germanic cognate.

    All of the English senses developed from the chess sense.

    Etymology 2

    From Middle English chekken, partly from Old French eschequier and partly from the noun (see above).

    Etymology 3

    By shortening from chequer, from Old French eschequier (“chessboard”), from Medieval Latin scaccarium, ultimately from the same Persian root as above.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishchek
      • borrowedOld Frencheschec
        • derivedMedieval Latinscaccus
          • borrowedArabicشَاه
            • borrowedClassical Persianشاه
              • inheritedMiddle Persian𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠
    • inheritedMiddle Englishchekken
    • derivedOld Frencheschequier “chessboard”
      • derivedMedieval Latinscaccarium “chess board”
        • partLatinscaccus “king”
        • partLatin-ārium “place for”
          • derivedLatin-ārius “-ary”

    Related: English chess (doublet), English shah (doublet), Saterland Frisian Schak, Dutch schaak, German Schach, Danish skak, Swedish schack, Icelandic skák, French échec, Italian scacco

    Meanings

    noun
    1. An inspection or examination.
    2. A control; a limit or stop.
    3. A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece.
    4. A mark (especially a checkmark: ✓) used as an indicator.
    5. An order to a bank to pay money to a named person or entity.
    6. A bill, particularly in a restaurant.
    verb
    1. To inspect; to examine.
    2. To verify the accuracy of a text or translation, usually making some corrections (proofread) or many (copyedit).
    3. To mark items on a list (with a checkmark or by crossing them out) that have been chosen for keeping or removal or that have been dealt with (for example, completed or verified as correct or satisfactory).
    4. To control, limit, or halt.
    5. To scold or rebuke someone.
    6. To verify or compare with a source of information.
    intj
    1. An expression showing that a requirement has been satisfied.
    2. An expression that indicates that the speaker wishes to pay the bill (e.g. in a restaurant).
    adj
    1. Checky, i.e. chequy.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: check