mandarin

One entry found for mandarin.

Main Entry: ¹man·da·rin
Pronunciation: 'man-d(&-)r&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Portuguese mandarim, from Malay menteri, from Sanskrit mantrin counselor, from mantra counsel -- more at MANTRA
1 a : a public official in the Chinese Empire of any of nine superior grades b (1) : a pedantic official (2) : BUREAUCRAT c : a person of position and influence often in intellectual or literary circles; especially : an elder and often traditionalist or reactionary member of such a circle
2 capitalized a : a form of spoken Chinese used by the court and the official classes of the Empire b : the group of closely related Chinese dialects that are spoken in about four fifths of the country and have a standard variety centering about Beijing
3 [Swedish mandarin (apelsin) mandarin (orange), ultimately from Portuguese mandarim mandarin; perhaps from the color of a mandarin's robes] a : a small spiny orange tree (Citrus reticulata) of southeastern Asia with yellow to reddish-orange loose-rinded fruits; also : a tree (as the satsuma) developed in cultivation from the mandarin by artificial selection or hybridization b : the fruit of a mandarin
- man·da·rin·ic /"man-d&-'ri-nik/ adjective
- man·da·rin·ism /'man-d(&-)r&-"ni-z&m/ noun