sheikhn.

1577 R. Willes & R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Hist. Trauayle W. & E. Indies 331 b The kyng of Persia is called Siech Ismael, whom the Italians call Gualizador, or Sophi.

1615 W. Bedwell tr. Mohammedis Imposturæ i. §3 The peace of God..be vpon thee my Sheich.

1671 tr. A. Charant Let. conc. Countrys King of Tafiletta 5 in tr. R. Fréjus Relation Voy. Mauritania The cheif of each Tribe, who take upon them the Title of Xeque, which is equivalent to Captain.

1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 160 He sent thither an Arab Scheik with many Arabs.

1727 A. Hamilton New Acct. E. Indies I. iv. 36 He has the Title of Xeriff given him, to distinguish his Eminency from other Sheeks.

1728 J. Morgan Compl. Hist. Algiers I. iii. 32 One of the Numidian petty Princes, called by Greek Authors Philarchs, and by the Arabs, &c. Sheikhs.

1755 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 507/1 Mutavali, the chiek or governor of Mesched.

1788 Tully's Narr. Resid. Tripoli (1817) 175 Shaik Alieff, an Arab chief.

1841 Kinnear Cairo, etc. 169 One of the Fellah sheichs.

1882 F. W. Farrar Early Days Christianity I. 457 Abraham..left his home in Ur of the Chaldees to wander as a nomad Sheikh.

1908 Mockler-Ferryman Golden Girdle iii I knew that the Jelas tribe still existed, and though Sheik Feyzul was dead, his son Faris reigned in his stead.

1908 Times 8 July 19/2 As regards the Shaykh's competency as an Arabic scholar, there can be but one opinion.

1925 Literary Digest 14 Feb. 28/2 We hear almost nothing more of the matinée idol any more... The ‘sheik’ has taken his place.

1926 Westm. Gaz. 7 Aug. The ‘cave man’ cult..cannot be quite so unhealthy as we have considered it; and next year, perhaps, the British Association will have a good word to say for the Sheik of romance.

1927 Amer. Speech 2 202/2 The girl calls the young man..‘my sheik’.

1932 S. Gibbons Cold Comfort Farm xviii. 245 The mask smiled..from a great silver screen: ‘Seth Starkadder in “Small-Town Sheik”.’

1939 ‘G. Orwell’ Coming up for Air i. i. 10 When your last natural tooth goes, the time when you can kid yourself that you're a Hollywood sheik is definitely at an end.

1956 S. Longstreet Real Jazz xii. 95 John Held Jr. drew the jazz-flapper and her sheik best... The lad was apple-headed, his hair buttered tight down. He wore bell-bottomed trousers, a racoon coat, drove a Stutz Bearcat and played or danced to jazz a lot.

1980 ‘L. Egan’ Motive in Shadow v. 87 He's sure a handsome sheik, kid.

1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 276 A Nation..which he calleth Hhassissin, which..followed a peculiar Prophet... They called him Sheich [printed Hheich] al Hhassissin.

1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. J. Albert de Mandelslo 46 in Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors The Devotions.. done at the Sepulchre of Schich Sefi at Ardebit.

1682 G. Wheler Journey into Greece ii. 199 A Book..written by a Cheke, or Doctor of Grand Cairo.

1753 R. Clayton Jrnl. from Cairo to Sinai 13 As we were passing by a mosch, where a certain Shiech Saleh was buried,..several of our guides..went thither to receive a benediction.

c1850 Arabian Nights (Rtldg.) 674 A convent.., the scheik, or superior of which was a friend of the steward.

1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey I. 201 A sheikh's tomb with a tiled roof.

1908 S. A. Cook Relig. Anc. Palestine vi. 68 Saints and holy sheikhs of the modern shrines.

1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 261 The Sheikelislam, who is the chief Civil Judge.

1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. li. 335 The Kaziæskar is judge of the army, and the Scheichulislam is reputed of equal rank with him.

1902 Daily Chron. 26 Apr. 5/4 She went to the Sheikh-ul-Islamate.

1906 Westm. Gaz. 3 Sept. 3/2 No political act of the Sultan has any validity without the fetwa of the Sheikh-ul-Islam.