sayyid

[sah-yid, sey-id]

noun

(in Islamic countries) a supposed descendant of Muhammad through his grandson Hussein, the second son of his daughter Fatima.
a title of respect, especially for royal personages.

Also said, say·ed, say·id.

Origin of sayyid

1780–90; < Arabic: lord

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sayyid

Contemporary Examples of sayyid

The best known was Brotherhood alumnus Sayyid Qutb, whom the Egyptian state executed in 1966.
Why the Caliphate Will Devour Its Children
Philip Jenkins
July 11, 2014

Historical Examples of sayyid

At the same moment arrived Sayyid Qsim, the commandant of Pp!
The Bbur-nma in English
Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
This may be the one with which Sayyid Dakn was concerned (f. 346).
The Bbur-nma in English
Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
This was the reform in Islam led by Sayyid Ahmad16 and his followers.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4
Various
His tutor, Sayyid Mamd,482 presumably was a Sha; through this he himself became infected by that heresy.
The Bbur-nma in English
Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
Sayyid Qsim must have lain down carelessly to sleep, without setting a watch.
The Bbur-nma in English
Babur, Emperor of Hindustan

British Dictionary definitions for sayyid

sayyid

sayid said

noun

a Muslim claiming descent from Mohammed's grandson Husain
a Muslim honorary title

Word Origin for sayyid

C17: from Arabic: lord

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 sayyid

also sayid, Islamic title of honor, applied to descendants of Hussein, Muhammad's grandson, 1788, from Arabic sayyid "lord, chief," perhaps literally "speaker, spokesman."