English

Alternative forms

• Sheela (usual spelling of the Indian name; occasional spelling of the Irish name)
• Sile (An uncommon Anglicisation of the original Irish Síle.)
• Sheilagh

Proper noun

Sheila

1. A female given name.
   • 1874 William Black, A Princess of Thule, Adamant Media Corporation, ISBN 1402170394, page 295

     Were English girls not good enough for him that he must needs come up and take away Sheila Mackenzie, and keep her there in the South.

   • 1933 Eleanor Farjeon, Over the Garden Wall,Faber and Faber 1933, page 91 ("Girls' Names")

     What lovely names for girls there are! / There's Stella like the Evening Star, / And Sylvia like a rustling tree, / And Lola like a melody, / And Flora like a flowery morn, / And Sheila like a field of corn,

   • 2008 Helen Walsh, Once Upon a Time in England, ISBN 9781841958682, page 48-49

     He shortened her name to Sheila which, in spite of its primness, she seemed to love. - - - For Susheela - Sheila, as she was now known - this creeping daylight signalled the start, not the end of sleep.

Usage notes

Originally used in Ireland; popular in the UK from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Hindi शीला ‎(śīlā), from Sanskrit शील ‎(śīla, “character, good conduct”).

Proper noun

Sheila

1. Alternative spelling of Sheela

Usage notes

More commonly spelled Sheela, but this spelling is sometimes found under the influence of the unrelated name of Irish origin.

Anagrams

• Elisha

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowing from English Sheila, from Irish Síle, from Latin Cecilia.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃej.lɐ/

Proper noun

Sheila f

1. A female given name, equivalent to English Sheila

Related terms

• Cecília

English

Noun

sheila ‎(plural sheilas)

1. (Australia, New Zealand, slang) A woman.
   • 2009, Rosemary Van Den Berg, Clogs and Bare Feet, page 208,

     He was a real gentleman and although he never asked any personal questions as to why ‘a couple of sheilas’ was hitch hiking to Perth, he said he was glad of the company.

   • 2010, Deke Rivers, The Singer and His Songs, page 22,

     “ […] You know I counted no less than fifty-five sheilas out on the street today, all screaming when you guys played.”

   • 2011, Kate Shayler, Burnished: Burnside Life Stories, page 8,

     I definitely didn′t think about getting married. I was real scared of sheilas back then.

Coordinate terms

• bloke, bruce (Australian)

Synonyms

• See wikiSaurus:woman

Antonyms

• See wikiSaurus:man

Etymology 2

You can help Wiktionary by providing a proper etymology.

From Arabic [script needed] ‎(sheila)

mannequins wearing sheilas (shaylas)

Noun

sheila ‎(plural sheilas)

1. A shayla, a headscarf worn by Muslim women.
   • 2005, Meraj Rizvi, Khaleej Times, "Lesbianism makes its way to varsity dorms"

     They sport short hair, no makeup, and do not wear a sheila.

Coordinate terms

• (headscarf): niqab

Anagrams

• Elisha