chess

¹

[ches]

noun

1. 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.

chess

²

[ches]

noun

plural

chesses 

1. any of several weedy species of bromegrass, especially Bromus secalinus.

chess

³

[ches]

noun

plural

chess, chesses 

1. one of the planks forming the roadway of a floating bridge.

chess

¹

/ tʃɛs /

noun

1. 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

chess

²

/ tʃɛs /

noun

1. a less common name for rye-brome

chess

³

/ tʃɛs /

noun

1. a floorboard of the deck of a pontoon bridge

Word History and Origins

Origin of chess¹

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

Origin of chess²

First recorded in 1735–40; origin unknown

Origin of chess³

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English ches “tier, layer,” possibly alteration of Middle French chasse “frame”

Word History and Origins

Origin of chess¹

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

Origin of chess²

C18: of unknown origin

Origin of chess³

C15 (in the sense: layer, tier): from Old French chasse frame, from Latin capsa box