mandarin

American  

[man-duh-rin] / ˈmæn də rɪn /

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.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a mandarin or mandarins.

2. elegantly refined, as in language or taste.

mandarin British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• mandarinate noun

Etymology

Origin of mandarin

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

Example Sentences

Did someone forget to tell the mandarins investigating X?

From The Wall Street Journal

And indeed whether its chairman, Richard Hughes, a Harvard-educated former Treasury mandarin, has in fact become as important as the real chancellor.

From BBC

The bulk of the nation’s oranges, lemons and mandarins are grown in these orchards, primarily in Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet as costs have surged, the taste is changing too, with certain manufacturers substituting oranges for mandarins to cut costs.

From BBC

He found himself sightseeing on Jeju Island, a resort island famous for sweet mandarins and volcanic rock statues.

From The Wall Street Journal