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chessman

chessman

4.9
A piece each player uses in a chess game, like a pawn or queen
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃɛsˌmæn/
translation icon : pieza de ajedrez
  • He carefully moved the chessman forward during his turn.

Examples

  • He held up the chessman.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Boiling oil, I thought, but I was calming down when I poured two glasses of sweetened iced tea while he replaced each chessman in the wooden box.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • In his discussion of the death penalty in the United States, he uses cases that were causes célèbres among opponents of the death penalty: Barbara Graham, Caryl Chessman, Ted Bundy, etc.

    Blog text (5)
  • After considering his options, she decided to protect her chessman on the board.

  • The intricate design of each chessman made the set a beautiful display piece.

Synonyms

chess piece
vschessman
6 2.0

A small object like a pawn or queen used in the game of chess

notes the specific sixteen pieces belonging to each player

How Powerful

queen
27 3.7
rook
12 5.7
chessman
4.9
knight
20 4.2
pawn
29 3.4

Surface Forms

chessman singular
chessmen plural

Morphology

chessman = chess + man (transparent) = chess + man

The meaning is a straightforward compound of 'chess' and 'man' meaning a piece used in the game of chess, which learners can infer from the components.

Etymology

Chessman is simply chess + man, and chess comes from an old Persian word shah meaning 'king'. So a chessman is a 'man' or small figure used in the game to stand for kings, soldiers, and other pieces on the board.