CHECKMATE


Meaning of CHECKMATE in English

I. ˈchek-ˌmāt transitive verb

Etymology: Middle English chekmaten, from chekmate, interjection used to announce checkmate, from Anglo-French eschec mat, from Arabic shāh māt, from Persian, literally, the king is left unable to escape

Date: 14th century

1. : to arrest, thwart, or counter completely

2. : to check (a chess opponent's king) so that escape is impossible

II. noun

Date: 15th century

1.

a. : the act of checkmating

b. : the situation of a checkmated king

2. : a complete check

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.