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

4. 1. a small citrus tree, Citrus nobilis, cultivated for its edible fruit

   2. the fruit of this tree, resembling the tangerine

Other Word Forms

• mandarinate noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mandarin¹

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

Example Sentences

Still, his refusal to admit error, or to abandon his problematic colleague, came to symbolize for many the arrogance of the new mandarins of the biological sciences.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

My euphoria stemmed as much from the mandarin eloquence of the characters as from the unanticipated magic that can happen when a playwright finds his community of actors.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It typically ships a substantial amount of mandarins, oranges and lemons to Canada.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

By the end of the shift, Marta said, she and her husband had picked enough mandarins to fill five huge crates, each earning $120 for the day.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The raids occurred as the harvesting of California oranges, mandarins and lemons was entering a peak period for fresh fruit.

Read more on Los Angeles Times