Main Entry:

¹check·mate

Pronunciation:

\ˈchek-ˌmāt\

Function:

transitive verb

Etymology:

Middle English chekmaten, from chekmate, interjection used to announce checkmate, from Anglo-French eschec mat, from Arabic shāh māt, from Persian, literally, the king is left unable to escape

Date:

14th century

1 : to arrest, thwart, or counter completely 2 : to check (a chess opponent's king) so that escape is impossible