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

While still a long shot, Scherr and other horse owners could compete for the Derby against millionaires and even a billionaire sheik who spend incredible wealth on horses.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 28, 2020

But Mr Dutton defended his department against accusations that a visa for the sheik should never have been approved.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2016

Three of the young men she interviewed then are now in Syria, as is the sheik, Bassam Ayashi, who was once linked to al-Qaeda.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 18, 2015

Anne’s sheik was wearing a black-and-orange-striped blazer, gray Oxford bags, a bow tie on an elastic band, and a brown triangular porkpie hat, pinched into a bowsprit at the front.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

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

The Arab sheiks prize falcons,” the librarian continues.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

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