shaikh

or shaykh

[ sheyk, shahyk ]

noun

1. sheik ( def 1 ).
2. Also called pir. (in Sufism) the spiritual guide.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shaikh¹

From the Arabic word shaykh literally, old man

Example Sentences

After 12 years of “pretrial proceedings,” and 23 years after the crime in question, prosecutors announced that a plea deal had been reached with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two of his accomplices, who were accused of planning the Sept. 11 attacks.

From Slate

In mostly secret negotiations in 2022 and 2023, prosecutors offered to drop the death penalty from the case in exchange for detailed admissions by the accused architect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and four other men who are charged as his accomplices in the hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people.

From New York Times

The central question, said Salman Shaikh, founder of the peace-building organization the Shaikh Group and the former director of the Brooking Institution’s Doha Center, is if a party could give sanctuary or support to one side and still act as a mediator.

From Los Angeles Times

“Mediation is a key part of Qatar’s foreign policy. Do we want them to act as a player or a mediator and facilitator? They’ve proved to be more effective than anyone else, at least initially,” Shaikh said.

From Los Angeles Times

Matthew N. McCall, the judge, is edging toward a decision on whether the accused mastermind of the attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and three co-defendants voluntarily confessed to conspiring in the attacks in their fourth year of detention, under questioning by F.B.I. agents at Guantánamo prison.

From New York Times