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

Derived Forms

• ˈmandarinate, 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

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg