sheik

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word sheik. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word sheik, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say sheik in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word sheik you have here. The definition of the word sheik will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofsheik, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ, “elder”).

Pronunciation

Noun

sheik (plural sheiks)

  1. The leader of an Arab village, family or small tribe.
  2. An Islamic religious cleric; the leader of an Islamic religious order.
    • 2013 August 1, Islamic Online University Insights‎, archived from the original on 25 October 2021, page 10:
      He then studied under a variety of scholars (shuyook) and institutes around the world in his quest for authentic knowledge.
  3. (some Arab Gulf countries) An official title for members of the royal family as well as some prominent families.
  4. (1920s) A romantic lover. (from the 1921 film The Sheik)
    • 1939, George Orwell, Coming Up for Air, part 1, chapter 1:
      When your last natural tooth goes, the time when you can kid yourself that you're a Hollywood sheik, is definitely at an end.
  5. (slang) An Arab, especially one dressed in traditional clothing.
  6. An honorific for specialists in spirituality, for example in Sufism.

Usage notes

The title is commonly used for religious leaders as a means of respect, in which case it does not imply an official status.

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

From Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ), from شَاخَ (šāḵa, “to age, grow old”).

Pronunciation

Noun

sheik m (plural sheiks, diminutive sheikje n)

  1. sheik

Swahili

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ).

Pronunciation

  • Audio (Kenya)(file)

Noun

sheik (ma class, plural masheik)

  1. sheik
    Synonym: shehe
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia