sheik
Americannoun
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Also sheikh. (in Islamic countries) the patriarch of a tribe or family; chief: a term of polite address.
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Slang. a man held to be masterful and irresistibly charming to women.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sheik
First recorded in 1570–80; from Arabic shayḫ “old man, chief,” from shaka “to grow, grow up, grow old”
Explanation
In Arabic, sheik is an honorific title, as in a Saudi oil sheik who makes the business news. Sheik also refers to a specific head of a tribe or family, or a leader in a Muslim community. In parts of the Middle East, South Asia, and some Muslim areas of Africa, a sheik is a religious leader or cleric. Sometimes it's the way an Islamic scholar is addressed. In Arabic the word is shaykh, "chief" or "wise old man." Women in a royal family, or female scholars of Islam, have traditionally been called shaykhah. Sheik is also spelled sheikh and shaikh.
Vocabulary lists containing sheik
The Middle East and Central Asia - Introductory
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The Middle East and Central Asia - Middle School
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The Middle East and Central Asia - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The outlet noted that Ferguson has experienced some public hiccups, like the time she was caught promising a News of the World reporter disguised as a sheik access to Andrew in exchange for nearly $700,000.
From Fox News ● Jul. 26, 2021
Ron Kuby, who once represented a blind Egyptian sheik sentenced to life in prison after a 1990s Manhattan terrorism trial, said the lockup houses some of “the highest-security prisoners on earth.”
From Washington Times ● Aug. 12, 2019
“Everyone was absolutely thrilled,” reports Ray Karch, the tent’s grand sheik.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2018
But Mr Dutton defended his department against accusations that a visa for the sheik should never have been approved.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2016
We should have made it a period ball, not the hotch-potch of humanity it was bound to be, with Giles, poor fellow, well-meaning and hearty in his guise of Arabian sheik.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
By the 1960s, the Egyptian was a wealthy man who was wheeling and dealing with everyone from Arab sheiks to Papa Doc Duvalier, Haiti's notorious dictator.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2023
The One and its myriad extravagances are reserved for sheiks and nobles, celebrities and CEOs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2021
No fewer than nine members of IOC itself are princes, princesses, dukes or sheiks — and that list doesn’t include the multitude of government officials involved in organizations that branch out of the IOC.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2020
Tochterman’s has attracted customers from all walks of life over the years, from neighborhood kids to Arab sheiks.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 14, 2016
Sometimes her partner was one of the brilliantine-haired neighborhood sheiks who was a snappy dancer and made her watch her steps.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
