Definition
Checkmate in chess or a similar position of inevitable defeat.
Etymology
From Russian 'shakhmat' (шахмат) via Turkic languages, ultimately from Persian 'shah mat' meaning 'the king is dead/helpless.' The term traveled along the Silk Road with the game itself.
Kelly Says
The word 'checkmate' literally means 'the king is dead' in Persian—when you checkmate someone, you're symbolically killing their king, which shows how chess was originally played as a war simulation by generals.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
Chessboard
Chessboard
ARالعربية
شيكماك
she-kmak
CACatalà
chekmak
che-kmak
CSČeština
chekmak
che-kmak
DEDeutsch
Chekmak
che-kmak
ELΕλληνικά
chekmak
chekmak
ESEspañol
chekmak
che-kmak
FRFrançais
chekmak
che-kmak
HUMagyar
chekmak
che-kmak
IDBahasa Indonesia
chekmak
che-kmak
ITItaliano
chekmak
che-kmak
MSBahasa Melayu
chekmak
che-kmak
MYမြန်မာ
ကျောက်စကြာ
kyauet-saka
NLNederlands
chekmak
che-kmak
PLPolski
chekmak
che-kmak
PTPortuguês
chekmak
che-kmak
RORomână
chekmak
che-kmak
SVSvenska
chekmak
che-kmak
SWKiswahili
chekmak
che-kmak
TAதமிழ்
சேக்கிமக்
sa-ek-ki-mak
TEతెలుగు
చెక్మక్
chek-mak
TRTürkçe
chekmak
che-kmak
UKУкраїнська
чекмак
chekmak
VITiếng Việt
chekmak
chekmak