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-1‘to take, receive, obtain’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*kšáyati1‘he rules’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*xšáyati1reconstructed
  4. Old Persianc. 600–300 BCEXŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/1transliteratedoriginal script XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary‘king’
  5. Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠1mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/‘king’
  6. Classical Persianc. 900–presentشَاه1šāh‘king’
  7. Arabicc. 500–presentشَاه1šāh‘king or check at chess’
  8. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scaccus1‘check (in chess)’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400eschec1
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chek1
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1963check1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English check
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1963, American law reports annotated: second s: “[…]the statute prohibits a machine which dispenses checks or…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tek-Wiktionary, English check‘to take, receive, obtain’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*kšáyatiWiktionary, English check‘he rules’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*xšáyatiWiktionary, English checkreconstructed
  4. Old Persianc. 600–300 BCEXŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/Wiktionary, English checktransliteratedoriginal script XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary‘king’
  5. Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠Wiktionary, English checkmlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/‘king’
  6. Classical Persianc. 900–presentشَاهWiktionary, English checkšāh‘king’
  7. Arabicc. 500–presentشَاهWiktionary, English checkšāh‘king or check at chess’
  8. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scaccusWiktionary, English check‘check (in chess)’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400eschecWiktionary, English check
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chekWiktionary, English check
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1963checkWiktionary, English check. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 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.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

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.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “check”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

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

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