sahib

[sah-ib, -eeb]

noun

(in India) sir; master: a term of respect used, especially during the colonial period, when addressing or referring to a European.

(initial capital letter) singular of Ashab.

Origin of sahib

1690–1700; < Urdu < Arabic ṣāḥib master, literally, friend

Ashab

[ahs-hahb]

plural noun, singular Sa·hib [sah-ib, -eeb] /ˈsɑ ɪb, -ib/. Islam.

those associating with Muhammad at any time in his life.

Compare Ansar, Muhajirun.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sahib

Historical Examples of sahib

What do you think will become of the man who shot the Dhah, sahib?
The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 25, January 1893
Various
"It is not him of whom it is a question, Sahib," he replied.
The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ
Nicolas Notovitch
And what message would you like for the Sahib to give the boys and girls of America for you?
Where Half The World Is Waking Up
Clarence Poe
There's a Sahib come to call on me, an' that's more than he'll iver do for you onless you run!
Soldiers Three, Part II.
Rudyard Kipling
He disclosed that I was a sahib, and that I was on my way to Lhassa.
In the Forbidden Land
Arnold Henry Savage Landor

British Dictionary definitions for sahib

sahib

saheb (ˈsɑːhɛb)

noun

(in India) a form of address or title placed after a man's name or designation, used as a mark of respect

Word Origin for sahib

C17: from Urdu, from Arabic çāhib, literally: friend

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sahib

respectful address to Europeans in India, 1670s, from Hindi or Urdu sahib "master, lord," from Arabic sahib, originally "friend, companion," from sahiba "he accompanied." Female form ("European lady") is memsahib.