check
n. countablen. an examination to make sure something is correct, safe, or in good condition. You might do a quick check of your work before you hand it in.
n. an inspection or examination intended to verify accuracy, quality, or condition. It often collocates with adjectives specifying its nature, such as 'security', 'health', or 'final'.
The mechanic does a final check on the car.
Before the flight, the pilot performs a routine safety check of the entire aircraft.
A thorough background check is a standard part of the hiring process for any position that involves access to sensitive financial data.
From Middle English chek, chekke, borrowed from Old French eschek, eschec, eschac, from Medieval Latin scaccus, borrowed from Arabic شَاه (šāh, “king or check at chess, shah”), borrowed from Classical Persian شَاه (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 gain power over, gain control over”). All of the English senses developed from the chess sense. Compare Saterland Frisian Schak, Schach, Dutch schaak, German Schach, Danish skak, Swedish schack, Icelandic skák, French échec, Italian scacco. See chess and shah (“king of Persia or Iran”), from the same source, as well as thig, which derives from the Germanic cognate.
From Middle English chekken, partly from Old French eschequier and partly from the noun (see above).
By shortening from chequer, from Old French eschequier (“chessboard”), from Medieval Latin scaccarium, ultimately from the same Persian root as above.
Commonly used in compound nouns (e.g., 'spell-check', 'background check') or with the preposition 'on' to specify the target ('a check on the system').