échec

From Old French eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه‎ (šāh, “king or check at chess, shah”), from Persian شاه‎ (šâh, “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 receive”). See also French mat.

• IPA^(key): /e.ʃɛk/

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• Rhymes: -ɛk
• Homophone: échecs

échec m (plural échecs)

1. failure

   être voué à l'échec ― to be doomed to failure

2. (chess) check

• échec et mat
• faire échec
• tenir en échec

échec

1. check

• → Catalan: xec

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