check

English Online Dictionary. What means check‎? What does check mean?

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: chĕk, IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɛk/, [t͡ʃɛk̚]
• Homophones: cheque, Czech
• Rhymes: -ɛk

Etymology 1

From Middle English chek, chekke, borrowed from Old French eschek, eschec, eschac, from Medieval Latin scaccus, borrowed from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king or check at chess, shah”), borrowed from Classical Persian شَاه (šāh, “king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, “king”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáyati (“he rules, he has power over”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to gain power over, gain control over”).

All English senses developed from the chess sense. Compare Saterland Frisian Schak, Schach, Dutch schaak, German Schach, Danish skak, Swedish schack, Icelandic skák, French échec, Italian scacco. See chess and shah (“king of Persia or Iran”), from the same source.

Noun

check (plural checks)

1. An inspection or examination.

2. A control; a limit or stop.
4. (chess) A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece. [from 14th c.]
5. (US) A mark (especially a checkmark: ✓) used as an indicator.

   Synonyms: (UK) tick, checkmark
6. (US) An order to a bank to pay money to a named person or entity.

   Synonym: (UK, Canada) cheque

7. (US) A bill, particularly in a restaurant.

   Synonyms: bill, (Canada) cheque

8. (contact sports) A maneuver performed by a player to take another player out of the play.
9. A token used instead of cash in gaming machines, or in gambling generally.
10. A lengthwise separation through the growth rings in wood.
11. A mark, certificate, or token by which errors may be prevented, or a thing or person may be identified.

12. (falconry) The forsaking by a hawk of its proper game to follow other birds. [from 15th c.]
13. A small chink or crack.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

• check on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

From Middle English chekken, partly from Old French eschequier and partly from the noun (see above).

Verb

check (third-person singular simple present checks, present participle checking, simple past and past participle checked)

1. (transitive) To inspect; to examine.

2. (transitive) To verify the accuracy of a text or translation, usually making some corrections (proofread) or many (copyedit).
3. (transitive, US, often used with "off") To mark items on a list (with a checkmark or by crossing them out) that have been chosen for keeping or removal or that have been dealt with (for example, completed or verified as correct or satisfactory).

   Synonyms: check off, (UK) tick, (UK) tick off, cross off, strike off

   Antonym: uncheck

4. (transitive) To control, limit, or halt.

   Synonyms: curtail, restrain; see also Thesaurus:curb

   • c. 1775–1780, Edmund Burke, letter to the Sheriffs of Bristol

     so many clogs to check and retard the headlong course of violence and oppression
5. (transitive) To verify or compare with a source of information.

6. (transitive) To leave in safekeeping.

7. (transitive) To leave with a shipping agent for shipping.

8. (street basketball, transitive) To pass or bounce the ball to an opponent from behind the three-point line and have the opponent pass or bounce it back to start play.

9. (sports, transitive) To disrupt another player with the stick or body to obtain possession of the ball or puck.

   Synonyms: tackle, trap, attack

10. (poker, transitive) To announce that one is remaining in a hand without betting.

11. (chess, transitive) To make a move which puts an adversary's king in check; to put in check.

12. (transitive) To chide, rebuke, or reprove.
13. (nautical) To slack or ease off, as a brace which is too stiffly extended.
14. To crack or gape open, as wood in drying; or to crack in small checks, as varnish, paint, etc.
15. (transitive) To make checks or chinks in; to cause to crack.

16. (intransitive, with at) To make a stop; to pause.
17. (obsolete) To clash or interfere.
18. To act as a curb or restraint.
19. (falconry) To turn, when in pursuit of proper game, and fly after other birds.

Derived terms

• See below

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Brazilian Portuguese: checar
• → Cantonese: check
• → Finnish: tsekata
• → German: checken
• → Gulf Arabic: چيك (čayyak)
• → Hijazi Arabic: شَيَّك (šayyak)
• → Russian: че́кать (čékatʹ)
• → Russian: че́кнуть (čéknutʹ)
• → Russian: проче́кать (pročékatʹ)
• → Spanish: chequear, checar (Mexico)

Translations

Interjection

check

1. An expression showing that a requirement has been satisfied.

   Keys? Check. Batteries? Check. We are all ready to go!

2. An expression that indicates that the speaker wishes to pay the bill (e.g. in a restaurant).

Etymology 3

By shortening from chequer, from Old French eschequier (“chessboard”), from Medieval Latin scaccarium, ultimately from the same Persian root as above.

Noun

check (plural checks)

1. (textiles, usually pluralized) A pattern made up of a grid of squares of alternating colors; a checkered pattern.
   • 1819, Charles Mowry, in the Downington Pennsylvania American Republican, quoted in Herbery Wisbey, Pioneer Prophetess: Jemima Wilkinson, the Publick Universal Friend:

     One of her female followers, had made a very elegant piece of check. The Friend, being at her house, on a visit, the lady shewed the check to her, and as evidence of devotion to her leader, proposed presenting her with a pattern off the piece for her own use.

2. Any fabric woven with such a pattern.

Translations

Verb

check (third-person singular simple present checks, present participle checking, simple past and past participle checked)

1. (transitive) To mark with a check pattern.

Adjective

check (not comparable)

1. (heraldry, rare, possibly only as a printing error) Checky, i.e. chequy.

References

• Michael Quinion (2004) “Cheque”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “check”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Chinese

Etymology

Borrowed from English check.

Pronunciation

Verb

check

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to check

   • 周卿家，同朕再check下，睇下各地各省仲有冇人欠稅，朕要將啲稅項一次過追返晒返嚟。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     周卿家，同朕再check下，睇下各地各省仲有冇人欠税，朕要将啲税项一次过追返晒返嚟。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2003, 帝女花 [Perish in the Name of Love], spoken by 崇禎帝 [Chongzhen Emperor] (Moses Chan)

     zau¹ hing¹ gaa¹, tung⁴ zam⁶ zoi³ cek¹ haa⁵, tai² haa⁵ gok³ dei⁶ gok³ saang² zung⁶ jau⁵ mou⁵ jan⁴ him³ seoi³, zam⁶ jiu³ zoeng¹ di¹ seoi³ hong⁶ jat¹ ci³ gwo³ zeoi¹ faan¹ saai³ faan¹ lei⁴. [Jyutping]

     Minister Chow, please check this for me; see if there are still people across the country who have not paid their taxes yet. I shall recall all of these taxes at once. (The usage of this term in this scenario is considered inappropriate because it was said in a historical drama)

Synonyms

• 檢查／检查 (gim² caa⁴); 查 (caa4)

Noun

check

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) cheque; check (Classifier: 張／张 c)

   alt. forms: cheque

Synonyms

• 支票 (zhīpiào)

Danish

Etymology

From English cheque, check, from Old French eschek (“check (in chess)”), via Medieval Latin scaccus and Arabic شَاه (šāh) from Persian شاه (šâh, “king”) (cf. also Danish skak).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɕɛɡ̊]

Noun

check c

1. cheque

Declension

Dutch

Pronunciation

Verb

check

1. inflection of checken:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. imperative

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʃɛk/

Noun

check m (plural checks)

1. (slang) fist bump

Middle English

Noun

check

1. Alternative form of chek

Spanish

Noun

check m (plural checks)

1. check (mark)

Swedish

Etymology

From English check.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɕɛkː/
• Homophones: käck, tjeck

Noun

check c

1. cheque, check

Declension

References