checklista (Swedish)

Where does "checklista" come from?

The Swedish noun 'checklista' is a calque of the English compound 'checklist'[2], first attested in 1959[1]. Its first element stems from English 'check'[2], which entered Middle English via Old French 'eschec'[4][8] and Medieval Latin 'scaccus'[4][8]. That word traces back through Arabic and Persian to the Old Persian royal title 'xšāyaθiya', meaning 'king'[4][8], ultimately rooted in Proto-Indo-European '*tek-', meaning 'to gain power over'[4][5]. The second element derives from English 'list'[2], which passed through Middle English from Germanic roots such as Old English 'līste' or Old French 'liste'[3]. These originate in Proto-Germanic '*līstǭ', signifying a 'band, strip' or 'border'[3], and potentially reach back to Proto-Indo-European '*leys-', meaning 'to trace' or 'track'[3][9].

Open questions

• The derivation of Proto-Germanic '*līstǭ' from the Proto-Indo-European root '*leys-' is tentative. [3] [9]
• Middle English 'list' may descend from Old English, or alternatively have been borrowed from Old French or Medieval Latin. [3]
• Old Persian 'xšāyaθiya' is considered likely a borrowing from Old Median rather than a direct native development. [5]

Full etymology tree

• checklista (Swedish), 'checklist'
  • calque checklist (English), 'A list of tasks to be completed, names to be consulted, conditions to be verified and similar.'
    • compound check (English), 'An inspection or examination.'
      • inherited chek (Middle English), 'Said when the opponent's king is under attack.'
        • borrowed eschek (Old French)
          • borrowed scaccus (Latin), 'check'
            • borrowed شاه (šāh) (Arabic), 'shah'
              • borrowed شَاه (šāh) (Classical Persian)
                • inherited 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ) (Middle Persian), 'king'
                  • inherited 𐏋 (xšāyaθiya) (Old Persian), 'king'
                    • inherited *xšáyati (Proto-Iranian)
                      • inherited *kšáyati (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
                        • inherited *tek- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to take by the hand'
    • compound list (English), 'A strip of fabric, especially from the edge of a piece of cloth.'
      • inherited lī̆st (Middle English)

Ancestors

• checklist (English)

Sources

1. checklista (Swedish) - Wiktionary
2. checklist (English) - Wiktionary
3. list (English) - Wiktionary
4. check (English) - Wiktionary
5. 𐏋 (xšāyaθiya) (Old Persian) - Wiktionary
6. scaccus (Latin) - Wiktionary
7. 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 (mlkʾ) (Middle Persian) - Wiktionary
8. chek (Middle English) - Wiktionary
9. līstǭ (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
10. شاه (Persian) - Wiktionary
11. eschec (Old French) - Wiktionary
12. شاه (šāh) (Arabic) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris