mandarin

[ man-duh-rin ]

/ ˈmæn də rɪn /

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noun

(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.

(initial capital letter) the standard Chinese language.

(initial capital letter) a northern Chinese dialect, especially as spoken in and around Beijing.

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.

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.

an influential or powerful government official or bureaucrat.

a member of an elite or powerful group or class, as in intellectual or cultural milieus: the mandarins of the art world.

adjective

of or relating to a mandarin or mandarins.

elegantly refined, as in language or taste.

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Origin of mandarin

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

Words nearby mandarin

Mandaean, mandala, Mandalay, mandamus, Mandan, mandarin, mandarinate, Mandarin Chinese, mandarin collar, mandarin duck, mandarin orange

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mandarin in a sentence

Sandwiched in between was a “Potbelly Punch” of SoCal Fruit Punch and mandarin vodka.
Wash ‘Pulp Fiction’ Down With a Tasty Beverage|Rich Goldstein|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is a safe bet that more Chinese are learning English than foreigners are studying Mandarin.
The Person of 2013 Is… Xi Jinping|Jonathan Fenby|December 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the original Marvel comic books, the Mandarin was born and bred in China, a descendant of Genghis Khan no less.
Did Hollywood Collaborate With Hitler? A New Book Makes Bold Claims.|Christopher Bray|September 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Because he does not speak Mandarin very well, he would be autonomous and “secretly unfriendable.”
The Gpistolary Novel: Tao Lin’s ‘Taipei’|Emily Witt|June 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But there is one important thing they do not know, which is what it is like to be anyone except a mandarin.
America’s New Mandarins|Megan McArdle|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At the middle altar was the mandarin, piously engaged in prayer, while two stood beside him, fanning him with large fans.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
They pay down a certain sum, as caution-money, to some mandarin, and the latter answers for them.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
A number of peacocks, silver-pheasants, mandarin-ducks, and deer are preserved in their gardens.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
She was at once seized by the guards, but was released at the intercession of a certain mandarin.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland
I promised the blue mandarin to Darthea Wynne because he always nodded yes to her when she wanted advice to her liking.
The Red City|S. Weir Mitchell

British Dictionary definitions for mandarin

mandarin

/ (ˈmændərɪn) /

noun

(in the Chinese Empire) a member of any of the nine senior grades of the bureaucracy, entered by examinations

a high-ranking official whose powers are extensive and thought to be outside political control

a person of standing and influence, as in literary or intellectual circles

a small citrus tree, Citrus nobilis, cultivated for its edible fruit
the fruit of this tree, resembling the tangerine

Derived forms of mandarin

mandarinate, noun

Word Origin for mandarin

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

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