sheik
English
Alternative forms
- sheikh, shaykh
Etymology
From Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ, “elder”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʃeɪk/, /ʃiːk/
- Rhymes: -eɪk, -iːk
- Homophones: shake, chic
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, page 10:
- He then studied under a variety of scholars (shuyook) and institutes around the world in his quest for authentic knowledge.
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- (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.
- 1939, George Orwell, Coming Up for Air, part 1, chapter 1:
- (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 a means of respect, in which case it does not imply an official status.
Related terms
- sheikha
Translations
leader of an Arab village, family or small tribe
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Islamic religious clergy
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Gulf countries: official title for members of the royal family
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1920s: romantic lover
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Anagrams
- hikes
Dutch
Etymology
From Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ), from شَاخَ (šāḵa, “to age, grow old”).
Pronunciation
- (Netherlands) IPA(key): /ʃɛi̯k/
- (Flanders) IPA(key): /ʃɛːk/
- Rhymes: -ɛi̯k
Noun
sheik m (plural sheiks, diminutive sheikje n)
- sheik
Swahili
Etymology
Borrowed from Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ).
Noun
sheik (ma class, plural masheik)
- sheik
- Synonym: shehe