sheikh
noun /ʃeɪk/, /ʃiːk/
/ʃeɪk/, /ʃiːk/
(also shaikh
/ʃeɪk/
/ʃeɪk/
)- an Arab prince or leader; the head of an Arab family, village, etc.Topics People in societyc2
- a leader in a Muslim community or organization
Word Originlate 16th cent.: based on Arabic šayk̲ ‘old man, sheikh’, from šāk̲a ‘be or grow old’.