noun, masculine/e.ʃɛk/plural: échecs
failure; check
“être voué à l'échec” — to be doomed to failure
Antonyms: réussite, succès
Inherited from Old French eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king or check at chess, shah”), from Classical Persian شاه (šāh, “king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ /šāh/), from Old Persian 𐏋 (XŠ /xšāyaθiya/, “king”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšáyati (“he rules, he has power over”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to receive”). See also French mat.