The Persian word "shatranj" ultimately derives from Sanskrit (; "") ("catuḥ": "four"; "anga": "arm"), referring to the game of the same name: Chaturanga. In Middle Persian the word appears as "chatrang", with the 'u' lost due to syncope and the 'a' lost to apocope, such as in the title of the text "Mâdayân î chatrang" ("Book of Chess") from the 7th century AD. In Persian folk etymology, a Persian text refers to Shah Ardashir I, who ruled from 224–241, as a master of the game: