Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CHECK, v.t. [Fr. echec, plur. echecs, which we have changed into chess; Sp. xaque, a move at chess; xaque de mate, check-mate; Port. xaque, a check; xagoate, a rebuke. Sp. and Port. xaquima, a halter; It. scacco, the squares of a chess-board; scacchi, chess-men; scacco-matto, check-mate; scaccato, checkered; Low L. scaccarium, an exchequer, Fr. echiquier; G. schach, chess; schachmatt, check-mate; D. schaak, chess; schaak-mat, check-mate; Dan. skak, chess, crooked, curving; skak-mat, check-mate; skakrer, to barter, chaffer, chop and change; Sw. schach, chess; schach-matt, check-mate; Russ. schach, check, chess; schach-mat, check-mate. In Spanish, xaque, zeque, is an old man, a shaik, and xaco, a jacket. These latter words seem to be the Ar. شَاحَ shaich, or شَاخَ; the latter is rendered to grow old, to be old, to blame or rebuke, under which we find shaik; the former signifies to use diligence, quasi, to bend to or apply; also, to abstain or turn aside. In Arabic we find also شَكَّ shakka, to doubt, hesitate, halt, and in Hebrew the same word שכך signifies to still, allay, sink, stop or check, to obstruct or hedge; שך a hedge. We have, in these words, clear evidence of the manner in which several modern nations express the Shemitic ש, or ش.]

1. To stop; to restrain; to hinder; to curb. It signifies to put an entire stop to motion, or to restrain its violence, and cause an abatement; to moderate.
2. To rebuke; to chide or reprove. – Shak.
3. To compare any paper with its counterpart or with a cipher, with a view to ascertain its authenticity; to compare corresponding papers; to control by a counter-register.
4. In seamanship, to ease off a little of a rope, which is too stiffly extended; also, to stopper the cable. – Mar. Dict.