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check·mate (chĕkmāt)
Share:
tr.v. check·mat·ed, check·mat·ing, check·mates
1. To move a chess piece placing (an opponent's king) under threat of being taken on the next move with no way of escape or defense possible.
2. To defeat completely.
n.
1.
a. A move in chess that checkmates an opponent's king.
b. The position or condition of a checkmated king.
2. An utter defeat.
interj.
Used to declare the checkmate of an opponent's king in chess.

[Middle English chekmat, from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic šāh māt, the king is dead : šāh, king (from Persian shāh; see SHAH) + māt, died (from earlier māta, to die; see mwt in the Appendix of Semitic roots).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.