Sikh

How to spell sikh

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce sikh

What does sikh mean?

1. nounA follower of Sikhism, the religion founded by Guru Nanak in the Punjab.
2. adjectiveRelating to Sikhism, its followers, or their religious practices.

Sikh in a sentence

• noun

  Every sikh in the congregation gathered to mark the festival.

• adjective

  The sikh faith was founded in the Punjab region of north India.

• noun

  As a devout sikh, he visited the gurdwara each week to pray.

• adjective

  She studied sikh history as part of her degree in world religions.

Where does sikh come from?

Language of origin: Sanskrit

This word comes ultimately from the Sanskrit shishya, which literally meant 'disciple' or 'learner', someone who follows a teacher. It passed into the Punjabi language as sikh, keeping that same sense of a devoted student of spiritual instruction. The term took on its religious meaning in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries when Guru Nanak founded the faith in the Punjab region of north India, so that a follower of his teaching became known as a learner, a Sikh. English borrowed the word during the period of British contact with India, with printed uses appearing by the early nineteenth century. The unusual spelling, with the silent-looking 'kh' standing for a single sound, reflects an attempt to render the Punjabi pronunciation in Roman letters, and that 'kh' is exactly where English writers tend to slip.

How the word is built

• sikh (from Punjabi via Sanskrit shishya: disciple, learner)

Words that sound like sikh

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• seek: To try to find, obtain, or achieve something through searching or effort.