Etymograph

English

check

Check comes from Arabic شَاه ‘king or check at chess, shah’, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáyati ‘he rules, he has power over’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tek-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tek-‘to take, receive, obtain’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*kšáyati‘he rules’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*xšáyatireconstructed
  4. Old Persianc. 600–300 BCEXŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/transliteratedoriginal script XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, a transliteration‘king’
  5. Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/‘king’
  6. Classical Persianc. 900–presentشَاهšāh‘king’
  7. Arabicc. 500–presentsame formšāh‘king or check at chess’
  8. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scaccus‘check (in chess)’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400eschec
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chek
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1963check

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tek-‘to take, receive, obtain’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*kšáyati‘he rules’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*xšáyatireconstructed
  4. Old Persianc. 600–300 BCEXŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/transliteratedoriginal script XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, a transliteration‘king’
  5. Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/‘king’
  6. Classical Persianc. 900–presentشَاهšāh‘king’
  7. Arabicc. 500–presentsame formšāh‘king or check at chess’
  8. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scaccus‘check (in chess)’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400eschec
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chek
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1963check

Earliest quotation: 1963, American law reports annotated: second s: “[…]the statute prohibits a machine which dispenses checks or…”

The story

All of the English senses developed from the chess sense.

Linked words

pairs

  • check and exchequer both from Medieval Latin scaccus ‘check (in chess)’

through Proto-Indo-European *tek- ‘to gain power over, gain control over’

toilet, 9 more

through Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 ‘king’

shah

through Medieval Latin scaccus

chess, 1 more

through Middle English chek

cheque

Another origin of check

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscaccus‘king’
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scaccarium‘chess board’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400eschekieras eschequier‘chessboard’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chekken
  5. Englishtodaycheck

Another origin of check

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscaccus‘king’
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scaccarium‘chessboard’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400eschequier‘chessboard’
  4. Englishtodaycheck

Today it means

noun An inspection or examination.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tek- / check

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