sheik

[ sheek, sheyk ]

noun

1. Also sheikh. (in Islamic countries) the patriarch of a tribe or family; chief: a term of polite address.
2. Slang. a man held to be masterful and irresistibly charming to women.

Other Words From

• sheiklike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sheik¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Arabic shayḫ “old man, chief,” from shaka “to grow, grow up, grow old”

Example Sentences

By the 1960s, the Egyptian was a wealthy man who was wheeling and dealing with everyone from Arab sheiks to Papa Doc Duvalier, Haiti's notorious dictator.

From BBC

Al-Hela, a businessman and tribal sheik from Yemen, was first captured in Egypt in 2002 and held overseas before being brought to Guantánamo two years later.

From Washington Post

The key piece of evidence was a videotape of Myers meeting an FBI agent posing as an Arab sheik in a motel room at Kennedy International Airport in New York.

From Washington Post

They are asked politely by the sheik to refrain from talking during his lesson.

From Los Angeles Times

The One and its myriad extravagances are reserved for sheiks and nobles, celebrities and CEOs.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• disparage
• exaggerate
• lampoon
• mimic
• mock
• ridicule
• satirize