checkmate

checkmate
{{11}}checkmate (n.) mid-14c., from O.Fr. eschec mat, from Arabic shah mat "the king died" (see CHECK (Cf. check) (n.)), which according to Barnhart is a misinterpretation of Persian mat "be astonished" as mata "to die," mat "he is dead." Hence Persian shah mat, the ultimate source of the word, would be literally "the king is left helpless, the king is stumped."
{{12}}checkmate (v.) late 14c.; see CHECKMATE (Cf. checkmate) (n.). Related: Checkmated; checkmating.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Checkmate! — Album par Namie Amuro Sortie 27 avril 2011 Durée 55:08 Genre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • checkmate — [chek′māt΄] n. [ME chek mat < OFr eschec mat, ult. < Pers šāh māt, lit., the king is dead < šāh, king + māt, he is dead] 1. Chess a) the move that wins the game by checking the opponent s king so that it cannot be protected b) the… …   English World dictionary

  • Checkmate — Check mate ( m[=a]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Checkmated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Checkmating}.] 1. (Chess) To check (an adversary s king) in such a manner that escape in impossible; to defeat (an adversary) by putting his king in check from which there… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Checkmate — Check mate (ch[e^]k m[=a]t), n. [F. [ e]chec et mat, fr. Per. sh[=a]h m[=a]t checkmate, lit., the king is dead, fr. Ar. m[=a]ta he died, is dead. The king, when made prisoner, or checkmated, is assumed to be dead, and the game is finished. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • checkmate — ► NOUN 1) Chess a position of check from which a king cannot escape. 2) a final defeat or deadlock. ► VERB 1) Chess put into checkmate. 2) defeat or frustrate totally. ORIGIN from Persian, the king is dead …   English terms dictionary

  • checkmate — index beat (defeat), check (bar), clog, deadlock, defeat, frustrate, prevent …   Law dictionary

  • Checkmate — For other uses, see Checkmate (disambiguation). The black king has been checkmated; the game is over, assuming that there are no other pieces (not visible in the picture) that could capture the queen. Checkmate (frequently shortened to mate) is a …   Wikipedia

  • checkmate — UK [ˈtʃekˌmeɪt] / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms checkmate : singular checkmate plural checkmates in chess, an attack that your opponent s king cannot escape from, so that you win the game …   English dictionary

  • checkmate — I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English chekmaten, from chekmate, interjection used to announce checkmate, from Anglo French eschec mat, from Arabic shāh māt, from Persian, literally, the king is left unable to escape Date: 14th century 1.… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • checkmate — /chek mayt /, n., v., checkmated, checkmating, interj. n. 1. Also called mate. Chess. a. an act or instance of maneuvering the opponent s king into a check from which it cannot escape, thus bringing the game to a victorious conclusion. b. the… …   Universalium

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