sheik

American  

[sheek, sheyk] / ʃik, ʃeɪk /

noun

• sheiks
  plural

1. Also sheikh. (in Islamic countries) the patriarch of a tribe or family; chief: a term of polite address.

2. Slang. a man held to be masterful and irresistibly charming to women.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sheiklike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sheiks
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sheik sheiks

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

An heiress poses as a man, meets a sheik and faces danger in a 1920s cross-desert car race.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2019

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

—Rep. Michael J. “Ozzie” Myers, D-Penn., was convicted of bribery and conspiracy for taking money from FBI agents who posed as Arab sheiks.

From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2023

Flappers and sheiks also took their cues from the high-flying romances they saw on movie screens and confessions in movie magazines of immorality on movie sets.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 30, 2014

Kelly insisted he was not actually taking bribes from FBI agents posing as oil sheiks but conducting an investigation of his own.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 18, 2014

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

Related Words

• disparage
• exaggerate
• lampoon
• mimic
• mock
• ridicule
• satirize