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check

Pronunciation: /t͡ʃɛk/

The English word “check” has 20 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. An inspection or examination.
  2. A control; a limit or stop.
  3. A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece.
  4. A mark (especially a checkmark: ✓) used as an indicator.
  5. An order to a bank to pay money to a named person or entity.
  6. A bill, particularly in a restaurant.
  7. A maneuver performed by a player to take another player out of the play.
  8. A token used instead of cash in various contexts, including sign-out of company property or collection of rations (dated), in gaming machines, or in gambling generally.
  9. A lengthwise separation through the growth rings in wood.
  10. A mark, certificate, or token by which errors may be prevented, or a thing or person may be identified.
  11. The forsaking by a hawk of its proper game to follow other birds.
  12. A small chink or crack.
  13. In randomizers, a possible place where an item may be.

verb

  1. To inspect; to examine.
  2. To verify the accuracy of a text or translation, usually making some corrections (proofread) or many (copyedit).
  3. 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).
  4. To control, limit, or halt.
  5. To scold or rebuke someone.
  6. To verify or compare with a source of information.
  7. To leave in safekeeping.

Etymology

From Middle English chek, chekke, borrowed from Old French eschec, eschek, 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…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.