'check-out' originates from the English word 'check,' which meant 'to inspect or verify,' combined with 'out,' indicating completion or departure.

'check' evolved from the Old French word 'eschequier,' which meant 'to check or inspect,' and 'out' from Old English 'ūt,' meaning 'outward or external.'

Initially, it meant 'to verify or inspect something,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'the process of leaving or paying at a counter.'