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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 of
sheik, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ, “elder”).
Pronunciation
Noun
sheik (plural sheiks)
- The leader of an Arab village, family or small tribe.
- 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.
- (some Arab Gulf countries) An official title for members of the royal family as well as some prominent families.
- (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.
- (slang) An Arab, especially one dressed in traditional clothing.
- An honorific for specialists in spirituality, for example in Sufism.
Usage notes
The title is commonly used for religious leaders as an expression of respect, in which case it does not imply an official status.
Translations
leader of an Arab village, family or small tribe
Gulf countries: official title for members of the royal family
Anagrams
Dutch
Etymology
From Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ), from شَاخَ (šāḵa, “to age, grow old”).
Pronunciation
Noun
sheik m (plural sheiks, diminutive sheikje n)
- sheik
Swahili
Etymology
Borrowed from Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ).
Pronunciation
Noun
sheik (ma class, plural masheik)
- sheik
- Synonym: shehe