Editing Sheikh (section)

==Etymology and meaning==
[[File:G1895 pg006 KURDISH SHEIKHS.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] sheikhs, 1895]]
The word in Arabic stems from a [[Semitic root|triliteral root]] connected with aging: {{lang|ar|ش-ي-خ}}, ''shīn-yā'-khā'''. The title carries the meaning leader, [[Elder (administrative title)|elder]], or [[nobility|noble]], especially in the [[Arabian Peninsula]] within the [[Tribes of Arabia]], where ''Shaikh'' became a traditional title of a [[Bedouin]] tribal leader in recent centuries. Due to the cultural impact of [[Arab people|Arab]] civilization, and especially through the spread of Islam, the word has gained currency as a religious term or general honorific in many other parts of the world as well, notably in [[Islamic culture|Muslim cultures]] in [[Africa]] and [[Asia]].{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}