sherif
Americannoun
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a governor of Mecca descended from Muhammad.
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an Arab chief, prince, or ruler.
noun
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a descendant of Mohammed through his daughter Fatima
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(formerly) the governor of Mecca
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an honorific title accorded to any Muslim ruler
Etymology
Origin of sherif
First recorded in 1590–1600, sherif is from the Arabic word sharīf “exalted (person)”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Not long after, the sherif took a straw poll.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 7, 2016
Reluctantly, the Trib shot down the sherif and later sank the frater.
From Time Magazine Archive
I married the daughter of an old sherif, and became the recognized chief of my section of the tribe.
From Time Magazine Archive
June 25th, order taken by the sherif betwene me and Raf Holden.
From The Private Diary of Dr. John Dee And the Catalog of His Library of Manuscripts by Dee, John
The family of Mohammed Ali, if popular, may then hope for their suffrages, or it may be some seyyid, or sherif, of the legitimate house of Koreysh.
From The Future of Islam by Blunt, Wilfred Scawen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
