English

A crossed cheque (see top left corner), in this case payable only to a bank account

Alternative forms

• check (US)

Noun

cheque ‎(plural cheques)

1. (Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Britain) A draft directing a bank to pay money to a named person or entity.

   I was not carrying cash, so I wrote a cheque for the amount.

   • 1848, John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy, 1920, page 62,

     They do not, however, all deal with the same banker, and when A gives a cheque to B, B usually pays it not into the same but into some other bank.

   • 1999, Sam Seunarine, Office Procedures for the Caribbean, 2nd edition, reprinted 2001, page 126,

     Sometimes abbreviations are used (which would be explained on the statement) and only the last three figures of the cheque number may be given. ‘Sundries’ are cash or cheques paid into the account.

   • 2007, Eric Tyson, Tony Martin, Personal Finance for Canadians for Dummies, unnumbered page,

     You can avoid dealing with paper cheques — written or printed — by paying your bills online.

   • 2009, R. Rajesh, T. Sivagnanasithi, Banking Theory Law & Practice, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, page 206,

     The daily cheque clearings began around 1770 when bank clerks met at the Five Bells (a tavern in Lombard Street in the City of London) to exchange all their cheques in one place and settle the balances in cash.

Translations

Derived terms

References

• "Cheque" in Michael Quinion, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds, 2004.
• 'Check' at EtymOnline

Asturian

Noun

cheque m ‎(plural cheques)

1. cheque (a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity)

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɛk/

Noun

cheque m ‎(plural cheques, diminutive chequeje n)

1. check (a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity)

Portuguese

Etymology

From English cheque, from Old French eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه ‎(šāh), from Persian شاه ‎(šâh, “king”), from Middle Persian 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 ‎(šāh), from Old Persian 𐏋 ‎(xšāyaθiya, “king”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ksayati ‎(“he rules, he has power over”), from Proto-Indo-European *tke- ‎(“to gain power over, gain control over”). Cognate of xeque.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛ.kɨ/
• Hyphenation: che‧que

Noun

cheque m (plural cheques)

1. a cheque

Spanish

Noun

cheque m ‎(plural cheques)

1. cheque

Related terms

• chequera