The etymology of words always reserves fantastic surprises and, in some cases, even amazing stories. This is the case of the word “check”.

Try to think about it for a moment: isn't that one of the most commonly used words in the English language? You have certainly used this word on the most disparate occasions and indeed you can use it as a verb, noun, or interjection.

Also, what would you think if I told you that the word “check” is somewhat linked to the Persian term شاه, Šâh, which literally means “king”. And if I told you that the origin of the word is also connected with the game of chess? Incredible, don't you think? So, let's discover together the story behind the etymology of the word “check".

Peanuts - Chess - Charlie Brown

Check: one word, several meanings

The word “check” covers an impressive range of meaning. It can be used as a verb with the meaning of “to control”, “to inspect”, “take a look at”. See the following example taken from Ludwig:

I don't know if she will be there, but it's worth a check.

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Check your enthusiasm during a negotiation

As a verb, the word can even acquire a more specific meaning, such as “To verify or compare with a source of information”:

Check your data against known values

Or the action of putting a checkmark - a mark made to indicate agreement, correctness or acknowledgement – on a document or on an assignment:

Check the correct answer to each question

When it comes to the meaning of the word “check” as a noun, the situation becomes even more complicated. “ Check” covers an impressive range of meanings. It can be used as a synonym for the aforementioned “checkmark” but it can also indicate “control”, an “inspection” a “bill” in a restaurant and, especially in UK and Canada, it can even indicate “an order to a bank to pay money to a named person or entity”:

I was not carrying cash, so I wrote a check for the amount.

As for the latter meaning, in British English the most used word is “ cheque”, which is however to be considered as an orthographic variant of “check”, having of course the same etymology:

I will pay you by cheque

Just think - two hours of loafing, home in time for Newsnight, and a pay cheque at the end of the week.

Last but not least a “check” is a typical situation in the game of chess, in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece; it can be viewed as saying "Watch out! The king is attacked!". When the king has no more possibilities to defend himself, the situation is called checkmate:

You have to work out how White, playing as usual up the board in the diagram, can force checkmate in two moves, however Black defends.

And this is where the story behind the word “check” begins.

The history behind the etymology of the word check

The origin of the word “check” is really intriguing. It entered the English language in the early 14th century from the Old French “eschequier,” which means “to attack the king in a chess game”. But the story is far more complex than that.

The French word itself comes via Arabic from Persian šāh, which literally means “king”. To be precise, this royal title was used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies, but also by diverse Persianate societies, such as – just to provide some examples - the Ottoman Empire, the Kazakh Khanate, the Khanate of Bukhara, and the the Mughal Empire.

Specifically, the word descends from Old Persian xšāyaθiya "king", which is probably a borrowing from Median.

The word checkmate itself comes from the Arabic phrase “shah mata” which literally means “the king is dead”.

Portrait of Shah Jahan by Muhammad Abed, c.1629
Portrait of Shah Jahan by Muhammad Abed, c.1629

Ludwig’s wrap-up

The etymology of many English words often hides fascinating stories. They remind us that languages are like living beings: they are born, they die and, above all, they are subject to incessant transformations. These transformations are often the result of complex exchanges between diverse cultures. Next time you need to check something or to put a checkmark on an important document try to think about how old this word is and how far it has travelled to officially enter the English language.