I. R -kə(r)ˌb-, - R -kəˌb- noun
Etymology: checker (I) + board
1. : a board used in checkers, chess, and other games with a typical pattern of 64 squares in 2 alternating colors arranged in 8 rows of 8 squares each
2. : a pattern or arrangement like a checkerboard
a checkerboard of cultivated fields, pasture lands and wooded tracts — American Guide Series: Texas
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to arrange, mark, line, or split up into a checkerboard pattern
with fields and forests checkerboarded around — American Guide Series: Arkansas
specifically : to purchase or lease (scattered parcels of land) in acquiring oil rights in a given area
the company's holdings are checkerboarded over the prospective oil territory