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mandarin

[ man-duh-rin ]

noun

  1. (in the Chinese Empire) a member of any of the nine ranks of public officials, each distinguished by a particular kind of button worn on the cap.
  2. (initial capital letter) the standard Chinese language.
  3. (initial capital letter) a northern Chinese dialect, especially as spoken in and around Beijing.
  4. a small, spiny citrus tree, Citrus reticulata, native to China, bearing lance-shaped leaves and flattish, orange-yellow to deep-orange loose-skinned fruit, some varieties of which are called tangerines.
  5. any of several plants belonging to the genus Disporum or Streptopus, of the lily family, as S. roseus rose mandarin or D. lanuginosum yellow mandarin, having drooping flowers and red berries.
  6. an influential or powerful government official or bureaucrat.
  7. a member of an elite or powerful group or class, as in intellectual or cultural milieus:

    the mandarins of the art world.



adjective

  1. of or relating to a mandarin or mandarins.
  2. elegantly refined, as in language or taste.

mandarin

/ ˈmændərɪn /

noun

  1. (in the Chinese Empire) a member of any of the nine senior grades of the bureaucracy, entered by examinations
  2. a high-ranking official whose powers are extensive and thought to be outside political control
  3. a person of standing and influence, as in literary or intellectual circles
    1. a small citrus tree, Citrus nobilis, cultivated for its edible fruit
    2. the fruit of this tree, resembling the tangerine
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˈmandarinate, noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mandarin1

1580–90; < Portuguese mandarim, alteration (by association with mandar to order) of Malay məntəri < Hindi mantrī, Sanskrit mantrin councilor
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mandarin1

C16: from Portuguese mandarim, via Malay menteri from Sanskrit mantrin counsellor, from mantra counsel
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Example Sentences

Sandwiched in between was a “Potbelly Punch” of SoCal Fruit Punch and mandarin vodka.

It is a safe bet that more Chinese are learning English than foreigners are studying Mandarin.

In the original Marvel comic books, the Mandarin was born and bred in China, a descendant of Genghis Khan no less.

Because he does not speak Mandarin very well, he would be autonomous and “secretly unfriendable.”

But there is one important thing they do not know, which is what it is like to be anyone except a mandarin.

At the middle altar was the mandarin, piously engaged in prayer, while two stood beside him, fanning him with large fans.

They pay down a certain sum, as caution-money, to some mandarin, and the latter answers for them.

A number of peacocks, silver-pheasants, mandarin-ducks, and deer are preserved in their gardens.

She was at once seized by the guards, but was released at the intercession of a certain mandarin.

I promised the blue mandarin to Darthea Wynne because he always nodded yes to her when she wanted advice to her liking.

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Mandanmandarinate