Checkmate,

in the game of chess, means placing your adversary’s king in such a position that he can neither cover nor move out of check. Figuratively, “to checkmate” means to foil or outwit another; checkmated, outmanœuvred. “Mate” (Arabic, māt, dead; Spanish, matar, to kill). The German schach means both chess and check, and the Italian scacco means the squares of the chess-board; but schach-matt and scacco-matto = check-mate. The French échec is a “stoppage,” whence donner or faire échec et mat, to make a stoppage (check) and dead; the Spanish, xaque de mate means the check of death (or final check).