Schach

From Middle High German schāch, from Arabic شاه (šāh), from Classical Persian شاه (šāh), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, “king”). Doublet of Check, Schah, and Scheck.

Oriental words were usually borrowed into Middle High German through Italian or Old French. Therefore the final /x/ is remarkable, because this sound was replaced with /k/ in Italian scacco, Old French échec. There are two possible explanations for this: Either the word was borrowed directly from Arabic during the early Crusades, or it was borrowed through Middle Dutch schaec and the -ch goes back to artificial reproduction of the High German consonant shift (as happened in several other words).

• IPA^(key): /ʃax/

• Audio (Austria)

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• Audio

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• Rhymes: -ax

Schach n (strong, genitive Schachs, plural Schachs)

1. chess (game)
2. check (chess situation in which the king is directly threatened)

• → Russian: шах (šax)
  • → Armenian: շախ (šax)
• → Hungarian: sakk
• → Luxembourgish: Schach
• → Romanian: șah
• → Swedish: schack
  • → Finnish: shakki, šakki

Schach m (strong, genitive Schachs, plural Schachs or Schache)

1. Obsolete form of Schah (“Persian or, by extension, other Oriental ruler”).

• “Schach” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Schach” in Duden online

• IPA^(key): /ʃax/

Schach n

1. chess

   Schach spiele.

   To play chess.

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

From German Schach, from Classical Persian شاه (šāh), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /⁠šāh⁠/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /⁠xšāyaθiya⁠/, “king”).

• IPA^(key): /ʃɑχ/
• Rhymes: -ɑχ

Schach n (uncountable)

1. chess