Origin: Latin
suffix -ate
Checkmate has 6 different meanings across 3 categories:
Noun
· Verb
· Intj
2
a chess move constituting an inescapable and indefensible attack on the opponent's king
3
The conclusive victory in a game of chess that occurs when an opponent's king is threatened with unavoidable capture.
1
place an opponent's king under an attack from which it cannot escape and thus ending the game
"Kasparov checkmated his opponent after only a few moves"
2
To put the king of an opponent into checkmate.
1
Word called out by the victor when making a move that wins the game.
Related Terms
Show all 22 terms ↓
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
Origin
The word comes from the Arabic phrase shāh māta, which literally means "the king is amazed." It entered English through Old French and Middle English while retaining this original chess-related meaning.