jaque

See also: ja que and já que

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒak/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Portuguese jaca (“jackfruit”), from Malayalam ചക്ക (cakka) / Tamil சக்கை (cakkai).

Noun

jaque m or f (plural jaques)

1. jackfruit

Alternative forms

• jacque

Derived terms

• jaquier (“jackfruit tree”)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old French jaque; see there for more.

Noun

jaque m (plural jaques)

1. (historical) gambison

Further reading

• “jaque”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Old French

Alternative forms

• jacque

Etymology

Usually linked to the given name Jacques; an alternative origin connects it with jaque (“coat of arms”), which is from Arabic شَكّ (šakk, “breastplate”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒakə/

Noun

jaque oblique singular, m (oblique plural jaques, nominative singular jaques, nominative plural jaque)

1. a gambison; a type of tight-fitting shirt

Derived terms

• jaquet, jacquet

Descendants

• French: jaque
• → Catalan: jaca
• → Italian: giacca
• → Middle English: jakke, jacke, jak, jake
  • English: jack
  • Yola: jock
• → Middle High German: jacke
  • German: Schecke, Jacke
• → Middle Low German: jacke
  • → Danish: jakke
    • → Faroese: jakki
    • → Icelandic: jakki
  • → Norwegian: jakke
• → Romanian: geacă
• → Sicilian: giacca
• → Venetan: xaca

From diminutive jaquet:

• → Catalan: jaqué, jaquet
• ⇒ French: jaquette
  • → Catalan: jaqueta
  • → German: Jackett
  • → Greek: ζακέτα (zakéta)
  • → Romanian: jachetă
  • → Italian: giacchetta
  • → Sicilian: giacchetta
  • → Spanish: chaqueta
  • → Portuguese: jaqueta
• → English: jacket
  • → Albanian: xhaketë
  • → Irish: seaicéad
  • → Scottish Gaelic: seacaid

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• jeque (Brazil)

Etymology

Borrowed from English jack.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʒa.ki/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʒa.ki/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʒa.ke/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʒa.kɨ/

• Hyphenation: ja‧que

Noun

jaque m (plural jaques) (European Portuguese spelling)

1. (nautical) jack (naval ensign)

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxake/ [ˈxa.ke]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ake
• Syllabification: ja‧que

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Spanish xaque, from Arabic شاه (šāh, “shah; king chess piece”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/, “king”). Doublet of cheque and escaque (“chess tile”), the latter formerly meaning "(any) chess piece" as well.

To explain the unusual rendering of Arabic -h as /k/ (-que), Coromines and Pascual suggest influence from escaque instead. They also mention an alternative idea they find less likely where the sound [h] was exaggerated as [k], cf. Medieval Latin nichil [ˈnikil]. Yet another explanation (not in Coromines and Pascual) for the /k/ is that it is from Arabic شاهك šāh-ak ("your king"), especially as it is used to announce an upcoming attack onto the enemy's king. First attested in 1283 as dar xaque ("to threaten the enemy's king").

Noun

jaque m (plural jaques)

1. (chess) check

   No oí bien cuando me dijo « ¡Jaque! »

   I didn't hear well when she said "Check!"

2. jeopardy, danger, threat

   Synonyms: peligro, amenaza

   Vamos, no me pongas en jaque con esa pregunta repentina.

   C'mon, don't put me in jeopardy with that sudden question.

   • 2026 February 1, Daniela Guazo, “Un contagio por hora: la epidemia de sarampión que México no pudo frenar [One infection per hour: the measles epidemic that Mexico couldn't stop]”, in El Universal (Mexico)‎^[1], archived from the original on 2 February 2026:

     Esta nueva epidemia está poniendo en jaque a aquellos que probablemente fueron vacunados en los 90.

     This new epidemic is putting those who were probably vaccinated in the 90s at risk.

Derived terms

• jácaro (“dandy”)
• jaquear (“to check, to bother”)
• jaque mate (“checkmate”)
• poner en jaque
• tener en jaque (“to bully”)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

jaque

1. inflection of jaquir:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

References

• Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José Antonio (1984), “jaque”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic etymological dictionary]‎^[2] (in Spanish), volume III (G–Ma), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 490

Further reading

• “jaque”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025