sherif

American  

[she-reef] / ʃɛˈrif /

Also shereef;

noun

1. a governor of Mecca descended from Muhammad.

2. an Arab chief, prince, or ruler.

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sherif British  

/ ʃɛˈriːf /

noun

1. a descendant of Mohammed through his daughter Fatima

2. (formerly) the governor of Mecca

3. an honorific title accorded to any Muslim ruler

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Etymology

Origin of sherif

First recorded in 1590–1600, sherif is from the Arabic word sharīf “exalted (person)”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sherif

Not long after, the sherif took a straw poll.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 7, 2016

I married the daughter of an old sherif, and became the recognized chief of my section of the tribe.

From Time Magazine Archive

Reluctantly, the Trib shot down the sherif and later sank the frater.

From Time Magazine Archive

I would rather,” he concluded, “pay a fine to the sherif than receive a favour from the Pasha.”

From Travels in Arabia; comprehending an account of those territories in Hedjaz which the Mohammedans regard as sacred by John Lewis Burckhardt

He was succeeded by Sultan Berkat, an Arab sherif of high rank, from the country of Taif in Arabia, who had married Sultan Akhmed's only child.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

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