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)”

Example Sentences

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

Her successor was named Beder al-alum sherif Hasham, the nature of whose pretensions to the crown does not positively appear, but there is reason to believe that he was her brother.

From The History of Sumatra Containing An Account Of The Government, Laws, Customs And Manners Of The Native Inhabitants by Marsden, William

There is no sherif, from the chief down to the poorest among them, who has not been brought up among the Bedouins; and many of them are also married to Bedouin girls.

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