1
Stage 1 of 3
shāh māt
Persian · medieval
"the king is helpless"
the losing king was declared "helpless", not literally dead
2
Stage 2 of 3
eschec mat
Old French · c. 1300s
"the king is trapped"
chess terminology spread through French courtly culture
3
Stage 3 of 3
checkmate
English · c. 1300s
"an inescapable winning position"
fixed as the term for the winning move in chess
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