checkmate C2+ Topic:Sports & Fitness US /ˈtʃɛkˌmeɪt/ UK /ˈtʃɛkˌmeɪt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a chess position in which the king is trapped and the game ends With a quiet rook move she announced checkmate. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a chess position in which... defeatrouttrouncevanquishstymiefoil Word family Related forms checkmate Etymology AI details From Old French eschec mat, from Persian shāh māt ('the king is helpless/defeated'), from shāh ('king') + māt (an adjective meaning 'helpless, defeated'). eschec mat Old French shāh māt Persian View etymology graph -> Topics Sports & Fitness Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # checkmate **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈtʃɛkˌmeɪt/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈtʃɛkˌmeɪt/ ## Meanings 1. a chess position in which the king is trapped and the game ends ## Examples - With a quiet rook move she announced checkmate. ## Synonyms - defeat - rout - trounce - vanquish - stymie - foil ## Related Forms - check - mate ## Roots and Affixes - Root: eschec mat - Root: shāh māt ## Etymology From Old French eschec mat, from Persian shāh māt ('the king is helpless/defeated'), from shāh ('king') + māt (an adjective meaning 'helpless, defeated'). ## AI Etymology Checkmate comes from Old French eschec mat, from Persian shāh māt ('the king is helpless/defeated'), from shāh ('king') + māt (an adjective meaning 'helpless, defeated'). The historical trail runs through eschec mat in Old French and shāh māt in Persian. Morphologically, checkmate is transparent: it draws on Old French eschec mat, from Persian shāh māt ('the king is helpless/defeated'), from shāh ('king') + māt (an adjective meaning 'helpless, defeated'). Used as a noun and verb, checkmate now means "a chess position in which the king is trapped and the game ends", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as check and mate. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English. ## Topics - Sports & Fitness - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown