chessman

American

[ches-man, -muhn] / ˈtʃɛsˌmæn, -mən /

noun

plural

chessmen

any piece used in the game of chess.

chessman British

/ ˈtʃɛsˌmæn, -mən /

noun

any of the eight pieces and eight pawns used by each player in a game of chess

"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

Etymology

Origin of chessman

1275–1325; Middle English; earlier chesse meyne, equivalent to chesse chess ¹ + meyne household ( man, men by folk etymology) < Middle French mesniée < Latin mansiōn- (stem of mansiō ); see mansion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Zhang Jun, suggested that the United States may see the Korean issue as "a chessman on the chessboard for their so-called Indo-Pacific strategy."

From Reuters • May 27, 2022

Logan is not somebody who is easily discombobulated, so Cory, as a master chessman, I’m sure would have a 13-point movement that gets him close enough to just get a smile from Logan.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2021

Richard Reti, 40, of Prague, Czechoslovakia, famed chessman; in Prague.

From Time Magazine Archive

The third chessman to be moved, last week, is also a "sound lawyer" and has been Solicitor General since 1924.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Are you quite sure there is no foundation for the rumor, Mr. Sherwood?" and Guy held his chessman poised in the air while he waited the answer.

From Miss Dexie A Romance of the Provinces by Eveleth, Stanford

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023