English
chess
Chess comes from Middle English ches ‘a chess set’, from Medieval Latin scaccus ‘check’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tek- ‘to take by the hand’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tek-‘to take by the hand’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*kšáyatireconstructed
- Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*xšáyatireconstructed
- Old Persianc. 600–300 BCEXŠtransliteratedoriginal script XŠ, a transliteration‘king’
- Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠mlkʾ‘king’
- Classical Persianc. 900–presentشاهšāh‘shah, king’
- Arabicc. 500–presentشَاهšāh‘king in chess’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scaccus‘check’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400eschés
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ches‘a chess set’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020chess
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tek-‘to take by the hand’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*kšáyatireconstructed
- Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*xšáyatireconstructed
- Old Persianc. 600–300 BCEXŠtransliteratedoriginal script XŠ, a transliteration‘king’
- Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠mlkʾ‘king’
- Classical Persianc. 900–presentشاهšāh‘shah, king’
- Arabicc. 500–presentشَاهšāh‘king in chess’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scaccus‘check’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400eschés
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ches‘a chess set’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020chess
Earliest quotation: 2020, Aaron Alford, Cloud9 signs grandmaster chess player Penguingm1: “At the tender age of 20, Penguingm1 is already…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tek- ‘to take by the hand’
through Classical Persian شاه ‘shah, king’
through Medieval Latin scaccus ‘check’
Today it means
noun A board game for two players, each beginning with sixteen chess pieces moving according to fixed rules across a chessboard with the objective to checkmate the opposing king.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tek- / chess