Rukh

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A huge legendary bird of Arabian and Persian tales said to be strong enough to carry off elephants ; the castle-shaped piece in chess that moves along ranks and files
2. An enormous mythical raptor from Middle Eastern folklore, able to lift great weights in its talons ; the chess piece shaped like a tower that slides straight across the board
3. A gigantic fabled bird in old Persian and Arabic stories ; the tower-shaped piece in chess that can advance any number of squares in a straight line

Etymology: The giant bird of Arabic and Persian legend was called "rukh," and English borrowed the name in the form "roc." The Arabic term came from Persian, and the bird it named was imagined as large enough to carry off elephants, a feat that made it a staple of travellers' tales. The same Persian word had another meaning, "chariot," and it passed into chess as the name of the piece that moves in straight lines across the board. English later adopted it as "rook," so the bird and the chess piece share an ancestor.

Synonyms: rook