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chess¹

(chĕs)

A board game for two players, each beginning with 16 pieces of six kinds that are moved according to individual rules, with the objective of checkmating the opposing king.

[Middle English ches, short for Old French esches, pl. of eschec, check in chess; see CHECK.]

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chess1

chess²

(chĕs)

Any of several species of brome, especially Bromus secalinus.

[Origin unknown.]

chess³

(chĕs)

n. pl. chess or chess·es

One of the floorboards of a pontoon bridge.

[Middle English ches, tier, perhaps from Old French chasse, frame, from Latin capsa, box.]

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.

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