First published 1889; not yet revised More entries for "check"
checkinterjection & noun1
Factsheet
What does the word check mean?
There are 41 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word check, 13 of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
check has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
chess (Middle English) military (Middle English) hawking and falconry (Middle English) phonetics (mid 1600s) coins and banknotes (early 1700s) hunting (late 1700s) mechanics (late 1700s) cards (1840s) fishing (1860s) horses and riding (1860s) accounting (1860s) woodworking (1870s) music (1870s) locksmithing (1870s) mining (1880s)
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the word check?
About 40occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 8.7 |
| 1760 | 12 |
| 1770 | 15 |
| 1780 | 14 |
| 1790 | 14 |
| 1800 | 16 |
| 1810 | 14 |
| 1820 | 14 |
| 1830 | 16 |
| 1840 | 14 |
| 1850 | 14 |
| 1860 | 16 |
| 1870 | 15 |
| 1880 | 16 |
| 1890 | 17 |
| 1900 | 20 |
| 1910 | 26 |
| 1920 | 28 |
| 1930 | 30 |
| 1940 | 32 |
| 1950 | 30 |
| 1960 | 27 |
| 1970 | 28 |
| 1980 | 32 |
| 1990 | 38 |
| 2000 | 41 |
| 2010 | 41 |
How is the word check pronounced?
British English
/tʃɛk/
U.S. English
/tʃɛk/
Where does the word check come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the word check is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for check is from around 1330, in Guy of Warwick.
check is a word inherited from Germanic.
It is derived from the word eschek, combined with the affix ‑chak.
Nearby entries
- chebacco, n.1823–
- chebec, n.1762–
- chebule, n.1599–
- chebulic, adj.1752–
- Chechen, n.1814–
- chechia, n.1853–
- check, n.²c1450–
- check, n.³1793–
- check, v.¹1393–
- check, v.²c1440–
- check, int. & n.¹c1330–
- check-, comb. form
- checkable, adj.1877–
- checkarsey, n.1552
- check-back, n.1926–
- check-band, n.1892–
- check-bar, n.a1877–
- check-book, n.1872–
- check box, n.1944–
- check-brace, n.1794–
- check-chain, n.1805–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for check, int. & n.¹
check, int. & n.1 was first published in 1889; not yet revised
check, int. & n.1 was last modified in July 2023
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into check, int. & n.1 in July 2023.
Earlier versions of check, int. & n.1 were published in:
OED First Edition (1889)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .
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Citation details
Factsheet for check, int. & n.¹
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Nearby entries
- chebacco, n.1823–
- chebec, n.1762–
- chebule, n.1599–
- chebulic, adj.1752–
- Chechen, n.1814–
- chechia, n.1853–
- check, n.²c1450–
- check, n.³1793–
- check, v.¹1393–
- check, v.²c1440–
- check, int. & n.¹c1330–
- check-, comb. form
- checkable, adj.1877–
- checkarsey, n.1552
- check-back, n.1926–
- check-band, n.1892–
- check-bar, n.a1877–
- check-book, n.1872–
- check box, n.1944–
- check-brace, n.1794–
- check-chain, n.1805–
