sheik

[sheek, sheyk] /ʃik, ʃeɪk/
noun
1.
Also, shaikh, 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.
Origin
1570-80; < Arabic shaykh old man
Related forms
sheiklike, adjective
Can be confused
shake, sheik (see synonym study at shake)
Examples from the web for sheik
  • The land was bought from the sheik of a neighboring village.
  • The sheik's other wives were much older than she was.
British Dictionary definitions for sheik

sheikh

/ʃeɪk/
noun (in Muslim countries)
1.
  1. the head of an Arab tribe, village, etc
  2. a venerable old man
  3. a high priest or religious leader, esp a Sufi master
Word Origin
C16: from Arabic shaykh old man
Word Origin and History for sheik
n.

"head of an Arab family," also "head of a Muslim religious order," 1570s, from Arabic shaykh "chief," literally "old man," from base of shakha "to grow old." Popularized by "The Sheik," novel in Arabian setting by E.M. Hull (1919), and the movie version, "The Sheikh," 1921, starring Rudolph Valentino, which gave it a 1920s sense of "strong, romantic lover."

Slang definitions & phrases for sheik

sheik

noun

A handsome, sleek, romantic male lover; a ladies' man

verb

To attempt to captivate; charm; seduce: Are you sheiking me, Ralph?

[1924+; fr the 1921 movie The Sheikh, starring Rudolph Valentino]