Dictionary.com

chess

1
[ ches ]
/ tʃɛs /
Save This Word!

noun
a game played on a chessboard by two people who maneuver sixteen pieces each according to rules governing movement of the six kinds of pieces (pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, king), the object being to bring the opponent's king into checkmate.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of chess

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English che(e)s, chesse, echesse, esches, from Old French esches, plural of eschec check1

Other definitions for chess (2 of 3)

chess2
[ ches ]
/ tʃɛs /

noun, plural chess·es.
any of several weedy species of bromegrass, especially Bromus secalinus.

Origin of chess

2
First recorded in 1735–40; origin unknown

Other definitions for chess (3 of 3)

chess3
[ ches ]
/ tʃɛs /

noun, plural chess, chess·es.
one of the planks forming the roadway of a floating bridge.

Origin of chess

3
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English ches “tier, layer,” possibly alteration of Middle French chasse “frame”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chess in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chess (1 of 3)

chess1
/ (tʃɛs) /

noun
a game of skill for two players using a chessboard on which chessmen are moved. Initially each player has one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns, which have different types of moves according to kind. The object is to checkmate the opponent's king

Word Origin for chess

C13: from Old French esches, plural of eschec check (at chess); see check

British Dictionary definitions for chess (2 of 3)

chess2
/ (tʃɛs) /

noun
US a less common name for rye-brome

Word Origin for chess

C18: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for chess (3 of 3)

chess3
/ (tʃɛs) /

noun plural chess or chesses
a floorboard of the deck of a pontoon bridge

Word Origin for chess

C15 (in the sense: layer, tier): from Old French chasse frame, from Latin capsa box
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK