| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
| |
| sherif |
| |
| SYLLABICATION: | she·rif |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  sh -r f |
| VARIANT FORMS: | also sha·rif |
| NOUN: | 1. A descendant of the prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima. 2. The chief magistrate of Mecca in Ottoman times. 3. A Moroccan prince or ruler. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Arabic  ar f, noble, from arufa, to be highborn. See  rp2 in Appendix II.
| | |
| |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
|
|
