checkmate
English
Etymology
From Middle English chekmat, from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic شَاهُ مَاتَ (šāhu māta), from Persian شاه مات (šâh mât, “the king [is] amazed”).
Pronunciation
Interjection
checkmate
Synonyms
- (chess): mate
Translations
said when making the conclusive move in chess
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Noun
checkmate (plural checkmates)
- The conclusive victory in a game of chess that occurs when an opponent's king is threatened with unavoidable capture.
- (figuratively, by extension) Any losing situation with no escape; utter defeat.
Related terms
Translations
conclusive victory in a game of chess
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losing situation with no escape
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Translations to be checked
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Verb
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- (transitive, chess) To put the king of an opponent into checkmate.
- That jerk checkmated me in four moves!
- (transitive, by extension) To place in a losing situation that has no escape.
Translations
to put an opponent into checkmate
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to lead to a situation of no escape
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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References
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Arabic
- English terms derived from Persian
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/eɪt
- English lemmas
- English interjections
- en:Chess
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- English countable nouns
- English transitive verbs
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