échec

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king or check at chess, shah”), from Classical Persian شاه (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 Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to receive”). See also French mat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.ʃɛk/

• Audio (France, Paris)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛk
• Homophone: échecs

Noun

échec m (plural échecs)

1. failure

   être voué à l’échec ― to be doomed to failure

2. (chess) check

Derived terms

• échec et mat
• faire échec
• tenir en échec

Interjection

échec

1. check

Descendants

• → Catalan: xec

Further reading

• “échec”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.