Chessman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A piece utilized in the strategic board game that represents various roles with designated movements and functionalities dictated by the rules of chess
2. A small figure used on a chessboard to represent a player’s forces in the game
3. An individual playing piece that moves according to specific rules on a chessboard

Etymology: Chessman is a plain compound: the game of chess with the common English noun "man" attached, meaning one of the pieces moved across the board. The first half traces a long road. Chess came into English through Middle English "ches", which in turn came from Old French "eschecs", and that word was borrowed from Arabic "šāh", meaning "king". The Arabic word itself came from Persian "šāh", the ancient Iranian title for a ruler, which also reached English, in a different form, through the Persian word for king. The second half is one of the oldest words in the language. "Man" descends from Proto-Germanic "mann", and it has been used in English since Old English, where it meant a human being. The pairing with chess is a simple combination of the two parts, and the compound was formed in English from the existing elements rather than borrowed whole.

Synonyms: piece, pawn, knight, rook, bishop